INPUT magazine

[matchy]

The Dragon 32 BASIC was always interesting to look at - and laugh at too

Why? Was it very different as a BASIC language?

Unlike other basics, where you could specify X & Y coordinates for text, the Dragon was somewhat different in that you could only position text based on the offset from the top-left of the screen.

And everything was green...

However, saying that it did have a much newer processor than, say the C64, but unfortuately as its graphical capabilities were limited, it didn't help.

I had a Coco and when I saw my friend Spectrum for the first time I giggled at the novelty of the size and function one key commands. 

Microsoft Basic is Coco Basic which is Dragon32. The text mode could have green/orange although there are programs that can use the graphics modes. 

[mentalthink]

About the relative Position in Amstrad Basic you can do too... Well the Amstrad Basic I think can do anything, when I look sometimes and I "compare" with GLBasic it's awesome the lot of things have the Locomotive Basic... the great fail was the horrible slow was.

About the green Screen, really I don't understand how I know whats happends in the screen, and really I finished some games.. 

[Ian Price]

Indeed. Speed was the only thing that let Locomotive/CPC Basic down.

I started with a green screen and then went to a colour one after my CPC went bang. Green was OK for some games, but the colour screen was infinitely better.

[mentalthink]

Yes Ian I rebember the first time I watch the CPC in color, concretly the 6128 with Gryzor (I think one of the best games in CPC), realy the load Screen it's today awesome.

If the Sincalir Spectrum was more colors, I think was superior then CPC, if you play some games practically always the games are more playable than Amstrad, are more quick to play...

PS: I have to search a technical comparision between C64 and Sinclair Spectrum... seems don't have a long distance between them, with a some changes seems Spectrum can be more powerfull than a C64, I don't want say make a mood to the Sinclair, but seems the Custom Chips except the sound, don't are extremely powerfull... (those are words of a Electronic engineer don't mine)

[Ian Price]

Gryzor and Renegade were two of my fave games on CPC, both by the same team and were totally awesome when played with the speech synth (for loud stereo music without crackle or hiss) and 64K RAM expansion from DK'Tronics. Both games became single load (rather than multi) and had additional music and sfx.

[MrTAToad]

On the Amstrad (on which I used to play on a friends), there was a game where you had to push blocks onto a conveyor belt - I can't remember the name of it though.

[Ian Price]

Can you explain a bit more - I had over 400 games on the Amstrad BITD, so chances are I had it.

Not Panic Dizzy by any chance?



or klax

[MrTAToad]

No, there was a conveyor along the bottom and you had a chap to push these boxes onto it - it was a single screen 2D game.

Cant remember anything else unfortunately.

[erico]

...a bit late but...coco was not all about green!

There was a poke that changed it to brown/amber!

[Ian Price]

No, there was a conveyor along the bottom and you had a chap to push these boxes onto it - it was a single screen 2D game.

Cant remember anything else unfortunately.

This might help you to remember - http://www.pressplaythenanykey.com/stuff/the_amstrad_cpc_screenshot_catalog_2010_01.pdf it's a screenshot catalogue of all known Amstrad CPC games (dated 2010). There are some missing entries that I remember and the screenies aren't always the best for each game, but you might be able to find the game you were looking for. If you do, please let me know

[mentalthink]

Jeje the DOC are from a friends of Amstrad here in Spain, I think the only Forum alive about Amstrad, it's extrange here the Amstrad had a lot of sells, but the people only make things for Spectrum, and curiosly for MSX, have a lot scene this last... in Spain MSX don't sell too much.

The problem of Amstrad it's don't have to much new Hardware, the only powerfull I look it's the floppy emulator of Lorahtek, works in a lot of ols system, included CNC for make piezes of cars and those things.

About the game says MrT really I don't know, basically I always buy games of Spanish people, or OCEAN or IMAGINE, if the cover put this the game will be excellent, U.S Gold really I only rebember Bruce Lee, very bad graphics, but awesome funny... and Loriciels and Titus I hate them.. sorry for the Frenchs Friend of the forum...

Ian I don't know if you touch at today you CPC, but if you find Laser Basic, you can do in Basic very powerfull things, it's the Locomotive Basic but compiled, and runs very very faster... it's very cool watch how the amstrad put the lines of code and says "Compile"... I forget too much cool things in those times...

[Ian Price]

I used to use LASER Basic a lot BITD (and LASER compiler). made many small games with it

Funny enough I was thinking about LASER Basic earlier today - it might be cool to see AquaVenture running on the CPC.

[MrTAToad]

Alas, despite looking twice (and also on Games Database), I couldn't find it.  I had though it was by either Mastertronic or Amsoft, but no appropriate games were found there).

[Ian Price]

There are definitely gaps in both databases - I remember mentioning several games that I remembered not being on them when I first looked at them a few years ago, but I can't remember any off the top of my head right now.

[MrTAToad]

Yes, I think I spotted a fair few that were should have been there (although I did find one that I had forgotten about when I had the C64)