Welcome to the "Interface" section, dear readers. This issue of the magazine has received, it cannot be said that a large, but still a decent number of letters from you, as well as from you, well, from all of you. Many of them contain constructive criticism on improving the magazine's shell, apparently our experiments have not been in vain. It is quite possible that some of your suggestions will see the light in the upcoming issues of our publication, who knows?
Of course, not all of you are only engaged in criticism; there are also those who just decided to ponder some topics. Well, we welcome that. Here, for example, is one such letter. We will not comment on it, so as not to disrupt the flow of thought :).
Hello, editorial team of one of the coolest magazines in Russia - "Adventurer"! This is Blaz from Novorossiysk writing to you. I gathered my thoughts and decided to write a little letter. In this letter, I want to talk about two topics that concern me. I will start in order. One of the most awesome games of 1998 can rightfully be considered "Black Crow," and why exactly 1998??? This game is timeless (I don’t want to compare it with Warcraft 2 and Starcraft on PC). Of course, it was to be expected that the game would be big, and a small boom would occur. Therefore, the price should have been higher than the standard 10 rubles. But what happened is that this game caused not a very big, but still a stir in the gaming world, and under this noise, it began to be sold at the price of a cool pirate, sometimes even double, disk on PC. This won't do! I (probably like most others) liked one of the features of the ZX SPECTRUM the most - the price of the computer and its products. They were not only acceptable in terms of price to quality ratio but were often at gift prices!!! So I think if "Black Crow 2" comes out, it should be sold at least at the old price, otherwise they might even raise it. It’s not far from the price of a licensed disk on PC (damn, why do I keep comparing ZX and PC : -{ ). And the second thought is that there is a trend towards the extinction of the simple user. Although, at first glance, there seems to be nothing serious here, but that is exactly at first glance! I will allow myself to compare PC and ZX for clarity. What do we see on PC? Yes, practically all users are either users or, at worst, experienced users. I won’t talk about hackers. And, of course, there is quite a large number of foreign and Russian groups releasing software. It seems to me that PC leads precisely because of the large number of users. Here’s what I see in the PC world. Of course, many disagree, and that’s right, because it is human nature to err, but my overall perception is correct. And here’s what’s happening on Speccy. Of course, it has long been known that our Speccy has taken a significant hit from the West. The halt in software releases led many people, including immortal programmers and the same users, to abandon ZX. It was like a test of the resilience of ZX fans. So now, to survive on ZX, one can only do so by releasing something on this platform, exchanging. That is, leading an active life. What can a user do, other than using the same hardware? Of course, there is an exit if there is a lot of money, but even if they do have money, a person does not always stay afloat. That is, users are leaving for PC or just for game consoles. The slogan "We all work together on the resurrection of Speccy" I consider not quite right. I think one of the measures to revive Speccy will be precisely attracting all the unloved users. I’m not even saying that at least the old ones should be kept. Well, that’s all, I’ve unloaded my burden. Those who disagree or have a different point of view, please express it, thankfully there are magazines (thanks, Adventurer) and you can type it there.
P. S. I have a few more questions: do you know about "Taganrog-128+AY" and its full compatibility with Speccy or modifications?
ADV: Unfortunately, no, because this computer is not widespread in our city. Try digging in some other publications.
Blaz: Do you know if anything cooler than "Art Studio 128" has come out?
ADV: At the moment, no. But there are reports that groups within Rush are working on a new graphics editor State Of The Art.
Blaz: I’m also curious, will you conduct contests for pictures on Spectrum again or not?
ADV: We haven’t decided yet, but you can send your graphics to the new section "Gallery" for public viewing and admiration ; -).
Blaz: Well, that’s all, with respect, Blaz.
The next letter will be a bit more serious, as it came not from just anyone :) but from ...
Hello, dear editorial team of the magazine "ADVENTURER"!
This is Ivan Roshchin from Moscow writing to you. Over the past time, a number of events have occurred that I consider necessary to report:
1. I have acquired the STS 6.2 debugger. I was pleased with the new features: selecting a file with the cursor from the directory, the work of [P]/[SS+P] on the principle of a stack, and that STS occupies only one page of memory instead of two. There is a function for measuring the average execution time of a subroutine, but it is inconvenient that each time it is called, the address of the subroutine has to be entered anew. This function somehow hangs the computer if the subroutine is in ROM, while in 48 mode everything works.
Another disadvantage of STS, not so obvious, is the inability to correctly trace commands like LD A,( HL) in TR-DOS ROM. Some coders use this and protect their programs from viewing by scrambling them with the contents of ROM.
In version 6.2, very necessary functions for changing the position and size of the editing window have disappeared (when debugging programs that use both the 0th and 1st screens, they were simply irreplaceable). So sometimes I have to load STS 5.1, although even there these functions are not implemented quite as they should be. For example, when launching STS or after reaching a breakpoint, information from the 0th screen was copied to the 1st, while what was in the 1st screen disappeared. In general, if there is additional memory, why not use it as a screen buffer? That is, when the debugger starts, it saves the contents of the 1st screen in the buffer and uses the 1st screen itself, while the user can see the contents of both the 0th and the 1st screens of the program being debugged, and when running this program, the previously saved 1st screen is restored.
I immediately switched to using STS 6.2 together with the ZX ASM 3.0 assembler. For this, I had to make some changes to STS and write a special loader.
By the way, regarding ZX ASM: it does not issue error messages during the compilation of such non-existent commands as "JR M, address" and "JR P, address," and in the object code, it generates "JR C, address" in their place.
2. My copier "ABCDcopy" is well known, but few know about the existence of its modifications for copying MS-DOS (720K) and IS-DOS (800K) disks, which can use the same driver for working with additional memory as "ABCDcopy 1.1." The MS-DOS disk copier (720copy) was written quite some time ago, while the IS-DOS disk copier (IS-COPY) I wrote at the request of Alexey Letaev quite recently.
I would like to address the authors of electronic newspapers through your magazine with this idea: often you have to read several issues of a newspaper in a row, and for this, the ability to automatically launch the next issue is needed. That is, I finish reading a certain issue of the newspaper, press a special key, and the next issue loads from the disk (if it is there).
And what about the already released issues? Here, apparently, a special boot will help, which works like this: when launching the selected program, it writes its name (or serial number) to an unused sector on the 0th track of the disk; when the user runs this boot again while holding down a certain key, the next program on this disk will automatically launch. This boot will be useful not only for sequential viewing of electronic newspapers but also in any case when you need to look through all the programs on the disk in turn.
Another interesting question: it is known that in different assemblers, the calculation of arithmetic expressions is implemented differently. In MASM, TASM, ZX ASM, a simplified algorithm is used without considering the priorities of multiplication and division operations: for example, 2+2/2 will equal 2, not 3. In STORM turbo assembler, such an expression will be calculated correctly. Some assemblers have special operations (extracting the lower or upper byte of the result, etc.) and built-in macro commands (like DOWN HL). So if someone takes on writing a converter of texts from the format of one assembler to another, all this needs to be taken into account, otherwise, it may happen that the object code obtained as a result of compiling the converted text will be incorrect, or the text will not compile at all.
P. S. What if there is a new section in ADVENTURER called "Demomaking" (overview of demos, a story about the implementation of various effects, both known and new, with examples of programs)?
ADV: The idea is certainly good; by the way, the magazine "Deja Vu" from Kemerovo has been doing this for quite some time. We are waiting for advice on this matter, write to us.
corr.: And in the "System" section, can we add a new subsection where glitches found in various programs would be discussed - there is surely something to say on this matter.
ADV: This would probably be the most saturated section in the magazine : -). Although, maybe it really is worth implementing this in our publication? If anyone wants to learn more about glitches with each issue, in addition to the ones they already know about, in the programs they use daily, then write to us. On the other hand, another question arises: is it worth using such programs at all? Imagine that you know about a couple of glitches in a program, and then someone tells you that it is the buggiest program ever.
corr.: And now I have a small complaint. I once read "ADVENTURER" #6 and saw in the "System" section a description of my program "FLOPPY FORMAT UTILITY v1.00". I quote from "ADVENTURER": "FFU is a good thing, there is a description (but I have a complaint about it - I don’t know what kind of nonsense they made the description shell from, but the end has disappeared into oblivion...)". The thing is that the description for this program is recorded as a file "FF.DOC" with a size of 26571 bytes, so I don’t quite understand the words "the end has disappeared into oblivion." Nevertheless, I fully admit that FLOPPY FORMAT got to you, so to speak, not in its original form.
ADV: Yes, that's absolutely right. There was such a case; we apologize for the oversight.
The next letter was sent to us by Slack Den from Flash.
S. D.: I recently read your magazine ADV#7 and decided to write. The magazine is excellent, especially the shell - well done! But there is one small inaccuracy - in the "Presentation" section it says regarding E. T.: "Flash Tracker - you cannot listen to the entire melody (only by patterns)." So, have you tried after loading the song into memory and going to the editing menu to press "CS+E" for PLAY ALL SONG or "CS+R" for PLAY SONG + extending notes?!
ADV: Yes, we confess, we didn’t try that; we will know.
S. D.: Well, as for Extreme Tracker - read about it in Flash Time #1. Or for example, I have Soundrive v1.51, and in Stereo covox mode, E. T. plays better than in SD mode. Moreover, on my PULSAR 128, in the absence of notes in the sheet music in PLAY mode, horrible clicks are heard from the speaker, plus the inability to turn off any channel in SD mode since E. T. starts throwing the muse into port #FE, accompanied by 1-bit sound for SD. All this refers to Extreme Tracker v1.32. I liked the editor except for the above-mentioned glitches, and if the authors fix it or have already fixed it, then it will be the best editor for SD on SPECCY. I heard that E. T. is being made or is going to be made for GS. I would like to see it since at the moment I am using it (GS).
ADV: We have also heard about it, but no more than that.
Here is another letter, this time from the gaming theme. We are writing to you from Glotov Sergey from Cherepovets.
corr.: Hello, dear authors of the magazine "Adventurer"! I have long wanted to write to you, but my Scorp broke down, and I was "without a horse" for half a year.
Here are some tips for games that may be useful to someone:
In New Dizzy, you need to lubricate the lock with a candle, then the door will open and you can take the annihilator and the extinguished torch. I couldn’t light the torch, so I hacked the game and replaced it with a "burning torch." With it, I went down to the basement, opened the door, and took the videotape, which I gave to the old lady.
I completed the game "Svyatogor" (except for one moment): you need to take an axe, a hryvnia, and a stick in the forest. Cross the river, buy a sword from the blacksmith. Chop down a tree and kill the Nightingale the Robber. Give the robber's corpse to the dogs in the garden, and they will let you pass. In the garden, take the rejuvenating apple, tow, and flint. Give the apple to the prince, and he will give you the sword of the sword. With the sword, kill the snake, light the torch (torch = stick + - tow) and enter the cave. There take the cup. At the exit from the cave, there is "Undead." I don’t know how to remove it. If you know - please let me know. I changed the loading block and jumped over it. Give the cup to Baba Yaga. She will give you the rupture herb. Use the rupture herb to push the stone and take the armor from under it. Put on the armor and go to the sorcerer (he is northeast of the sorceress). After the battle with the sorcerer, go down to the basement, save the girl, and run before the tower collapses.
In the game "Apollo," I found two mistakes:
1) You cannot enter the command module. I only got there by changing the loading block. When you exit the module, you enter the corridor, and when trying to return, instead of the command module, you enter another corridor (the locations are incorrectly connected).
2) From the command module, you enter the lifeboat, pick up Sam, and take off. However, wherever you fly, you die without finding your ship. In fact, the ship is to the north. I figured this out by hacking the loading block.
Well, that’s all, I’ll finish here, goodbye.
Yes, unfortunately, we will have to end on this note too - the editorial team of "Adventurer," we will eagerly await new letters and will try to thoroughly analyze all the material presented above. If anyone has any questions, please write, the address of the editorial office can be found in the usual place (in the "Authors!" section).
Yes, in a hurry, we almost forgot about the material that came to us recently. We had to insert it (we didn’t dare not to do it).
(C) RAY/AURYN/CPU
I would like to comment on the letter from some CRAKS from Myshkin, published in ADV #7. According to him, ADVENTURER represents "computer-related reading." According to him, "it's WIN'95 now, and soon WIN'98" - it creates an impression of a lammer who has read cheap pro-PC press, like "Computerers." And his statement that "IBM PC is a cool machine" translates this impression into certainty. I really want to ask: "Have you worked on a PC long enough? WIN'95 is cool? Have you seen anything like this on other platforms?" Oh, right - you don’t have a PC "yet..." How can you judge a platform without working on it SERIOUSLY? Next, CRAKS complains about the lack of materials for coders and demomakers in the magazine. On this matter, I can say the following: there are materials, but they are mainly ideas, not ready-made procedures. If a person has a brain on their shoulders, they can write the procedure themselves, understanding the idea. And publishing ready-made procedures, especially for demos, breeds lammer demos with identical effects, although, on the other hand, we all learned on something, be it ZX-REVUE or something else. After all, as they say, you should learn from your mistakes, but you can also learn from others' (to speed up this learning process). After all, a demo is like an exam on the ability to do something really cool. So let them be made by people who have reached a certain level of skill.
Well, that's it, I'm done.
Contents of the publication: Adventurer #08
- От автора - Shaitan
Technical details of a new program interface for ZX Spectrum. Discusses improvements and features like scrolling and color change. Provides keyboard and button navigation instructions.
- От автора
Introduction by the author and editorial team details.
- Presentation
The article presents a software installer for creating autorun disks and introduces a new adventure game created with QUILL by Dr. Laser.
- Presentation of TRICK Software
The article presents TRICK, a new software for program protection developed by Eternity Industry, and discusses its beta and commercial versions. The author, Alexander Kalinin (aka Paracels/EI), addresses previous shortcomings in the software and emphasizes its improved interface. It includes purchase details for the software and invites readers to request it.
- Presentation
The article provides a detailed user manual for HELP_Z80, a free utility for ZX Spectrum that serves as an electronic guide for Z80 microprocessor commands. It outlines how to load and use the software, including command explanations, search functions, and integration with assemblers. Additionally, it includes memory distribution, operational features, and references for further reading.
- Interface
The article discusses reader feedback on the magazine's interface, addressing concerns about pricing and software trends in the ZX Spectrum community. It features a letter from a reader expressing thoughts on game pricing and the declining number of users on the platform. Additionally, there are discussions on software developments and user engagement.
- Interface
The article shares the author's experiences after purchasing an Amiga, comparing it with a PC, and discussing its usability for games, graphics, and music, while noting some software limitations.
- Interface
The article discusses user support issues faced by hardware manufacturers SCORPION and NEMO for ZX Spectrum devices. It critiques SCORPION for poor customer service despite being a market leader, while praising NEMO for responsive support. The author expresses concerns about the overall market direction for ZX Spectrum hardware.
- Interface
Article discusses the future of the Spectrum platform, addressing user demographics, software production challenges, and hardware evolution possibilities.
- Interface
Article discusses the frustrations of a Speccy user regarding hardware issues, the challenges of modern computing, and the dedication to maintaining the Speccy platform.
- Interface
Статья рассматривает жизнь и судьбы пользователей ZX Spectrum, включая личные воспоминания автора о друзьях и их взаимодействии с компьютерами.
- System
The article reviews various software for ZX Spectrum, including text editors, audio players, and graphic utilities. It provides independent opinions on their features and usability, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. The piece emphasizes the evolution and improvement of software tools available for this classic platform.
- Overview of Games
Overview of notable games for ZX Spectrum, highlighting their graphics, sound, and gameplay mechanics. Each entry includes a brief summary and rating. Recommended for fans of retro gaming.
- Review of Demos
The article reviews demo versions of various games, highlighting their potential and unique features. It emphasizes the scarcity of such releases in the market and evaluates the quality and gameplay mechanics of selected titles. The author shares insights into the progress and expectations for future full versions of these games.
- Guests
The article discusses the formation and activities of the Eternity Industry group, its members, projects, and future plans for releases and competitions.
- Гости - Dr. John
An interview with Felix from Virtual Brothers discusses his transition from ZX Spectrum to PC, development of the game 'Winnie the Pooh', and future plans.
- Guests
Interview with the musicians Mарат and Демон from the band 'Disgust', discussing their musical evolution, influences, and perspectives on life and creativity.
- Promotion
The article provides a detailed manual for the game 'ENCYCLOPEDIA of WAR', explaining army selection, unit types, and battle mechanics.
- Promotion
The article provides a walkthrough for the game, detailing necessary items and strategies for progressing through various challenges, including dealing with dinosaurs and navigating villages.
- Promotion
Статья представляет собой обзор arcade adventure игры 'ELOPEMENT' от Omega HG, выделяя ее особенности и советы по прохождению.
- Promotion
Статья описывает текстовую адвентюру 'Остров тьмы' на QUILL, предлагая советы для игроков. Упоминаются механики и персонажи, включая загадки и взаимодействия. В конце представлена карта острова.
- Promotion of 'Knightmare'
The article describes the game 'Knightmare', detailing its commands, gameplay mechanics, and initial quests. Players control a knight who must interact with characters and solve puzzles to progress. It serves as a manual for navigating the game's environment and objectives.
- Experience Exchange
The article critiques the adventure game 'Island of Darkness' by Paul Moskow, highlighting its illogical design, lack of detailed item descriptions, and absence of helpful hints for players.
- Experience Exchange
The article provides a detailed manual for enhancing the ZX ASM 3.0 assembler, introducing debugging features and functionalities for better program execution control on ZX Spectrum.
- Experience Exchange
The article describes a phenomenon observed with the ZX Spectrum video controller, where switching between two screens can create unexpected visual artifacts. It outlines a specific program that demonstrates this effect through rapid screen toggling. The author discusses the implications and potential applications of this behavior.
- Обмен опытом - Иван Рощин
The article is a programming guide on porting the 'iris.ss' screen saver effect from Dos Navigator to ZX Spectrum, including source code and modification tips.
- Обмен опытом - Иван Рощин
Description of the OPEN_W procedure to create window borders. Includes details on customization of symbols and dimensions. Utilizes PRSYM for symbol printing.
- Обмен опытом - Maximum
Introduction to long integer operations for game development on ZX Spectrum, including addition, subtraction, and conversion to ASCII.
- Experience Exchange
The article discusses the customization of the ART STUDIO graphic editor by creating additional modules that enhance its functionality, including features like music playback and cursor coordinates display.
- Experience Exchange
The article describes a program developed to improve the visual quality of a pixel-by-pixel moving attribute message on ZX Spectrum. It provides details on the implementation, including the use of data arrays for motion trajectory and image rendering. The program includes comments for easier understanding and can be modified for different effects.
- Оттяг
The article features humorous sketches and commentary on various aspects of life and technology, including anecdotes about a fictional character's experience with a Pentium processor.
- Pharmacist Test
The article presents humorous tests designed to identify whether someone is a real pharmacist or a fraud, featuring situational questions and scoring to gauge knowledge of pharmacy.
- Oddities and Self-Reflection in 'Оттяг'
The article 'Оттяг' presents a humorous and critical self-reflection of the author, exploring various life experiences and quirks that highlight his unusual personality traits.
- Humorous Quiz: Assess Your Sense of Humor
The article presents a humorous quiz to assess one's sense of humor and sexual attitudes through various situational questions, revealing absurd and comedic perspectives.
- Student Types Quiz
The article presents a humorous quiz to determine what kind of student you are, ranging from a party animal to a diligent scholar. It features a series of questions regarding typical student activities and responses. The results categorize students based on their score, from carefree to nerdy.
- How to Properly Torture Windows 95 - Maximum
Статья описывает иронический подход к установке и эксплуатации операционной системы Windows 95, включая способы ее 'мучения' и троллинга. В тексте используются гиперболизированные примеры взаимодействия с ОС для создания комичного эффекта. Это развлекательный материал с элементами юмора.
- Ottyag
The article is a humorous narrative featuring Winnie the Pooh and his friends returning to the Hundred Acre Wood, where their carefree life turns chaotic. It describes their antics, including drinking and misadventures, as they reunite and encounter various challenges. The story showcases the characters' personalities and interactions in a comedic light.
- Novella
The article describes a humorous novella featuring Corporal Johnlan recounting his first military mission and his interactions with a young grandchild over beers.
- Novella
Novella recounts an adventurous escape from a Glot base using a vintage spacecraft, highlighting the protagonist's encounters and clever maneuvers.
- Novella
The article describes a whimsical story about two hedgehogs, Pukhly and Zaraza, who, after a strange event, develop wings and must navigate their new reality. The story blends fantasy and humor as the characters face unexpected changes and challenges. This is a novella showcasing imaginative storytelling.
- News
The article discusses recent updates from Rybninsk related to the FunTop party, detailing contributions from various individuals and teams for the 'Adventurer' magazine and demo competitions.
- News
Статья сообщает о событиях в сообществе Спектрумистов Ярославля, включая информацию о разработчиках программного обеспечения и их текущих проектах.
- Advertisement
The article is a collection of advertisements and announcements related to ZX Spectrum, inviting collaboration from programmers, artists, and musicians, and detailing how to acquire the journal and software.
