M.M.A/SPEED CO.'97
QUAZATRON & MAGNETRON
BY STIVE TURNER'86-89
"Robot, it's just the same as a can, only it opens from the side...
MECHNOTECH KLP2
Today I want to offer our readers to get acquainted with a rather old, but by no means less interesting game QUAZATRON, written by programmer Steve Turner, a person who, for his contributions to the development of ZX-SPECTRUM, can be placed in the same league as such well-known programmers as Piter Cooke, Oliver Twibs, James Hutchby ......
A very good comparison is Steve Turner - Vyacheslav Mednonogov.
Both of these programmers have written quite a few games. But true fame came after one of them (QUAZATRON and UFO1), and the next game, which is a continuation of the first (MAGNETRON and UFO2), simply turned the world upside down! By the way, QUAZATRON received in May 1986 the sign - Sibclair User CLASSICS - meaning that this program is the best in its genre, as well as opens up new genres or new directions in its genre, as well as previously unknown techniques and methods. If we had such an award, V. MEDNONOGOV would definitely have received it!
Since the game QUAZATRON has no less interesting continuation - MAGNETRON, I think it makes sense to combine the descriptions of both programs. The combined disk version of these programs can be found in the appendix to our magazine. This disk version was made by the Samara hacker SB Soft.
When compiling this description, publications of the MKP "INFORCOM" "ZX-REVIEW" 5/94,92 and "ZX-FORUM-1" were used. Also used were collections of descriptions "500 games. Part one" published by V.A.PRINT and "Computer Worlds. Part two" published by "PITER".
I believe that by immediately stating the sources of information, I relieve myself of responsibility for plagiarism and will not resemble the publishers "SOLON" and "Va Pribt", as well as the publishers of the Kharkiv magazine FAULTLESS, whose disgraceful behavior in this area is detailed in one of the articles of this issue. Moreover, I doubt that all our readers have all those books I mentioned at once. Therefore, do not waste your time in vain searching, but read the combined and supplemented description of these wonderful games.
So, let's start with the first game - QUAZATRON.
KLP 2 was designed as a reconnaissance robot and underwent special training to participate in research expeditions as part of reconnaissance teams. Unfortunately, it had to be removed from group operations due to its pathological passion for disassembling other devices (by the way, in English KLPTWO sounds very much like KLEPTO, and as we know, the irresistible desire to take everything that lies poorly is called KLEPTOMANIA).
Sent for routine customs service at the edge of the galaxy, KLEPTO, nevertheless, gained fame and became a public hero when it disposed of the left leg of the famous interstellar pirate, the humanoid android robot Billoid Peitsus.
That is why he was remembered when preparing the QUAZATRON mission.
In a galaxy far, far away... there is a planet QUARTEX, where a civilization of inorganic origin was discovered in its time. The special reconnaissance expedition that opened this planet managed to transmit information about the extensive military communications and cities inhabited by droids of unknown origin before its demise. Several attempts by Earth expeditions to penetrate this planet ended unsuccessfully. You are invited to try your hand and capture the city with the help of a special robot, the very KLP2.
Scientists only had fragmentary information about the nature of the droids inhabiting the planet. But this was enough to develop an effective device designed for close combat with them - GRAPPLE UNIT - a kind of device for boarding and capturing the enemy. If used skillfully, it guaranteed a reliable victory over the enemy and also allowed access to the internal reserves of the damaged droid. However, tests showed that the possibility of achieving such success is a risky matter: the battle itself (regardless of whether the GRAPPLE UNIT is used or not) requires enormous energy costs - this is the price you have to pay for hacking the enemy's security device (SECURITY DEVICE). Your batteries will last no more than a minute - then destruction occurs. But if you use the GRAPPLE UNIT, all energy consumption goes at the expense of the enemy's batteries. If such a battle is successfully completed, the entire remaining power block of the enemy may come to you (if it remained intact after the battle), along with trophy weapons, engines, and other devices. In the case of defeat, you will have to part with spare parts at best, and at worst with your life.
Thus, the use of the GRAPPLE UNIT, although risky in itself, allows for successful fighting against the droids with their own weapons, while also replenishing all your expendable resources at the expense of the defeated enemy. The use of this device alone in close combat provided a chance to achieve victory in an unequal battle with the planet QUARTEX.
QUAZATRON, as was first reported by the expedition that discovered the planet, is a huge underground technopolis inhabited by robots. It has 8 levels - floors, connected to each other by communication shafts. On each level, there are special hatches through which one can access other floors. A level is something like a three-dimensional maze - a multitude of platforms of various configurations, located at different heights and connected to each other by sloping passages. Some floors consist of two groups of platforms that do not communicate with each other.
The droids inhabiting the city have a fairly developed hierarchical structure. All of them have onboard markings, with the help of which one can obtain more detailed information about the piece of scrap metal standing before you. The marking consists of letters and numbers.
The letter marking indicates the class of the droid, while the numerical marking indicates the position within this class:
╔═╦═══════════╦═════════════╗
║A║AUTOMATION║ AUTOMATS ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║B║BATTLE ║ COMBAT ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║C║COMMAND ║ COMMANDING ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║L║LOGIC ║ LOGICAL ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║O║MEDIC ║ MEDICAL ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║R║REPAIR ║ REPAIRING ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║S║SECURITY ║ SECURITY ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║U║UTILITY ║ UTILITY ║
╠═╬═══════════╬═════════════╣
║X║MENIAL ║ MENIAL ║
╠═╩╦══════════╬═════════════╣
║AB║ANDREWOID║ ANDROIDS ║
║ST║PROGRAMMER║ PROGRAMMERS ║
╚══╩═════════╩═════════════╝
The main classification does not include only the last two elite classes of droids AB and ST. The numerical coding (from 0 to 9) indicates the status of the droid in its class. The higher the number, the lower the rank it occupies, and thus the more vulnerable it is in battle.
In addition, all robots are divided into security classes (SECURITY CLASS). There are a total of five of these classes: ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, and EPSILON. The class is determined not only by the type of weapon that a particular droid possesses but also by how resilient and durable it is in close combat. Immediately after starting, KLP2 has an even lower status - ZETA. This means only one thing - "without much blood" victory will not be achieved.
It is natural that on the upper floors of the technopolis KLP2 will encounter various small fry, such as utility droids and servants. Below live droids of a higher class - C, L, O. And in the very heart of the city, on the deepest floors, reside the most solid droids. Based on this power layout, it is not worth rushing down immediately, but rather to advance evenly, gathering newer and newer, faster and more powerful nodes of your opponents.
Each droid consists of five main parts (UNITS PARTS):
╔════════╦════════════════╦══════════════╗
║NAME ║ TRANSLATION ║ KLP2 ║
╠════════╬════════════════╬══════════════╣
║DRIVE ║(ENGINE) ║ LINAR MK1 ║
╠════════╬════════════════╬══════════════╣
║POWER ║(POWER BLOCK) ║ CHEMIFAX MK1 ║
╠════════╬════════════════╬══════════════╣
║WEAPON ║(WEAPON) ║ PULSE LASER ║
╠════════╬════════════════╬══════════════╣
║CHASSIS ║(CHASSIS, SUSPENSION)║ DURALITE ║
╠════════╬════════════════╬══════════════╣
║DEVICES ║(ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT)║ NONE ║
╚════════╩════════════════╩══════════════╝
(In the third column of this table are recorded the devices that KLP2 is equipped with immediately after starting)
As you can see, the DEVICE part is not mandatory and, for example, for our KLP2 it is simply absent at the beginning (NONE). There are a total of six types of additional devices:
DISRUPTOR SHIELD - a protective field that allows reflecting shots from DISRUPTOR weapons. Accordingly, against a droid with such protection, the use of DISRUPTOR is practically useless.
LASER SHIELD - protection against laser weapons, which incidentally also provides good protection against attempts to ram your droid head-on.
RAM THRUSTER - a device that supplies a constant current to the droid's body. Even with a brief contact with the owner of such a thing, KLP2 can lose a lot of energy. And if such a device is taken as a weapon, then destroying all other enemies will come down to simple body contact. Within two to five seconds, regardless of the class of your opponent, they will simply crumble to dust.
POWER BOOTS - reduces the load on the chassis due to additional thrust, allowing for better endurance when falling from heights.
OVERDRIVE - a device for boosting engine thrust and, consequently, increasing power.
DETECTOR - a device designed to monitor radiation levels. How KLP2 can use it is unknown.
Capturing a droid and further fighting it occurs if, while in GRAPPLE MODE, your droid touches the enemy's body. This is where your opponent's security class comes into play. A warning message flashes on the monitor screen, followed by a logical scheme. Each time these schemes are different, and their complexity depends on the rank of your opponent. At the beginning of the battle, you are given ten seconds to orient yourself in the situation and choose whether you will play for the yellow ones (on the left) or for the blue ones (on the right). Initially, you are offered to play for the yellow ones on the left.
The goal of this logical mini-game is to color the maximum number of rectangles in your color. At first, you have three capsules, and later their number may increase depending on your SECURITY CLASS. You can connect your capsule to any of the wires connected to the central block. Various elements may be present on the wires:
- multiplier
- divider
- additional capsule
- inverter
Some wires may be broken and not reach the central block. Additionally, during the battle, one energy capsule may burn out, and if your opponent shows cunning and strategy, everything may go to waste!
On the side, for each of the opponents, the number of remaining capsules is indicated, and at the top of the energy block, in a large square, the color that has the advantage on the playing field is displayed. If the number of rectangles with different colors is equal, the square will turn black.
A total of 60 seconds is given for the fight. It is advisable to start placing your energy capsules a little later than your opponent, which will allow you to last as long as possible even with a shortage of capsules and ultimately seize the energy compartment. If the battle ends in a draw, you will be offered a different energy scheme.
In the event of the opponent's victory, if this is the first fight, your robot will be destroyed, and if this battle occurred after you have already defeated someone, then all previously captured blocks and weapons will be lost, and the power unit will remain almost out of energy....
After the protection from the droid is removed (i.e., you have won the battle), a list of its main parts will appear on the screen. Now you can take something for yourself from them if it survived the battle. By moving the control keys up and down the list of available nodes of the destroyed droid, you can press ENTER to take something for yourself. If the corresponding module is intact, the inscription "INTERFACED" will appear in its place. If, however, this node could not be connected due to damage, the inscription "DAMAGED" will appear.
Here is a list of all possible droid equipment elements:
For engines (DRIVES), the names, energy consumption (K), and thrust power (E) are given:
LINEAR MK1 10K 60E
Standard engine. Weak but reliable.
LINEAR MK2 10K 70E
Engine with improved payload capacity, achieved without increasing energy consumption.
LINEAR MK3 20K 80E
Turbo variant MK2. The increase in payload capacity is achieved at the expense of excessive energy consumption.
GRAVITRONIC MK1 30K 90E
One of the first anti-gravity engines. Still used due to high reliability.
GRAVITRONIC MK2 30K 100E
Improved anti-gravity engine. Standard inexpensive engine for lower droids.
HEAVY DUTY 80K 120E
Powerful engine. Standard combat engine on lower droids.
DUAL LINEAR 160K 130E
Double LINEAR engine. Designed for droids using heavy chassis.
ULTRAGRAV 180K 150E
Installed on select droids. Very, very expensive engine.
For power sources, the name, energy capacity (K), and power consumption (E) are indicated:
CHEMIFAX MK1 20K 10E
Cheap, reliable power block. Installed on short-lived droids.
CHEMIFAX MK2 40K 10E
Improved power block with increased energy capacity.
ROBOTRONIC MK1 60K 10E
First standard power block.
ROBOTRONIC MK2 100K 10E
Improved power block, installed on droids with high energy consumption.
ROBOTRONIC MK3 160K 10E
New power block undergoing testing for fast droids.
triobatic 240k 20e
Powerful power block for combat use.
cybonic mk1 320k 30e
High-class power block. Designed for high energy consumption.
cybonic mk2 400k 40e
Powerful, high-class, expensive power block for select droids.
For weapons, the name, power (K), and weight (E) are indicated:
pulse lazer 10k 10e
Standard laser for industrial and combat use.
dual lazer 20k 20e
Powerful weapon for use against droids. Installed on low-class combat droids.
disintegrator 30k 30e
Super powerful deadly weapon. Consumes a lot of energy.
autocannon 50k 80e
For one-on-one combat. Heavy and deadly.
disruptor 80k 50e
Weapon of the highest class. Has a volumetric effect and affects all types of droids.
For chassis suspension, the name, energy consumption (K), and weight (E) are indicated:
duralite 0k 10e
Cheap chassis. Restores upon damage.
trialium mk1 0k 10e
Low-class chassis installed on lower droids.
trialium mk2 10k 10e
Powerful low-class chassis of improved action.
chromite 20k 10e
Expensive chassis. Outdated, but still in production. Installed on old model droids.
plasteel 30k 10e
New chassis with impact protection. Designed to protect the memory of logical droids.
stressed plasteel 40k 20e
Powerful combat suspension for lower combat droids.
coraloy mk1 50k 20e
Powerful high-class chassis.
coraloy mk2 80k 20e
Super powerful chassis installed on select droids.
══════════════════════════════════════════
When choosing parts from a defeated droid, do not get too carried away! First of all, you need to take its power block for your arsenal, of course, if it is more powerful than your old one. Otherwise, you can pick up new weapons, chassis, and engines, only to find that the enemy's power block has been destroyed. In this case, all new and more powerful devices you took will be powered by your old block. In this case, the first close contact with the enemy may end with a flashing power indicator!
It is not at all necessary to destroy enemies using the grapple unit. Any droid can simply be shot down with the weapon you have. Naturally, in this case, there can be no talk of capturing spare parts.
To obtain various information, KLP2 can use the enemy's computer networks. Fortunately, they do not need to be hacked! The computers store information about the map of the current level, the plan of the entire city, the classes of droids and their weapons. Here you can also identify all the weapons and mechanisms captured from enemies and currently installed on KLP2.
After all the droids on the next level are destroyed, you can descend through the passage to another level. Destroying all droids on all levels leads to victory over the city. But do not rejoice too early! Quazatron is only the first of eight technopolises that need to be neutralized. So ahead are Beebatron, Commodore, Amstrados, Spectron, Atarilix, Amigos, and finally Ibmos.
A bit of information about the control and structure of the program screen. Immediately after loading, you will be offered to choose one of the control methods (joystick, keyboard, etc.). Be careful in your choice, as it will not be possible to change the control later.
There are two main movement modes - weapon and mobile. Switching between these modes is done by pressing the "W" key. In mobile mode, you can move and optionally shoot at enemies (fire + direction of shooting). In weapon mode, you automatically shoot in the direction you are moving.
Transitioning to grapple mode and back is done by long-pressing the "OPONb" key. The mode is indicated by an indicator in the form of the letter "G".
The name of the current mode is displayed in the window at the bottom left. If a purple message "power" appears there, it means that the batteries of klp2 are drained and urgent recharging from the nearest energy platform (circle with a cross in the middle) is needed.
That's basically all the information you might need for a successful defeat of enemies.
is waiting for you!
"A year has not passed....."
Shortly after you, controlling klp2, successfully defeated the technopolises of the planet Kvarthex, scientists discovered the last stronghold of the warring droids - eight artificial satellites of the planet Magnetron, neighboring Kvarthex. Naturally, to destroy these remnants of metallic civilization, Mechnotech klp2 was chosen again.
This time the task is to neutralize 32 reactors at eight stations - satellites. Each station has 4 reactors, designated by Greek letters (ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA). By disabling these reactors, you can use the teleporter to move to the next station.
In the short time after the conflict on Kvarthex, scientists were able to slightly improve the main combat weapon of klp2 - the grapple unit. However, this improvement brought about some limitations - now you can only capture an enemy droid entirely, and capturing individual parts has become impossible. Moreover, the new principle of creating droid copies significantly simplifies the war with the enemy.
When capturing in grapple mode, you will need to collect three main components of the opponent in a row:
- chassis
- security system
- detonators
If you manage to collect the chassis in the top row, the detonators in the bottom row, and the security system in the middle row, then consider that you have acquired a new body in the form of the droid you captured. At the same time, a copy (replica) of yours remains at the battle site, which has all the properties of klp2 that it had before the encounter. You continue to control the updated klp2 with the technical specifications of the just-defeated enemy. If this new droid dies, you will start controlling your old copy from the place where the grapple unit was last used.
If you fail to collect all the rows completely, then at least try to assemble a row of detonators, and in this case, although copying will not occur, the enemy will not be able to explode and will not destroy you.
IN ALL OTHER CASES, DESTRUCTION AWAITS YOU
Enemies can also be destroyed from weapons, but this principle is not cost-effective for economic reasons. Moreover, it is not necessary to destroy all enemy droids on the current platform, as it was in quazatron! It is enough to neutralize all four reactors.
How to neutralize a reactor? Very simple! Standing on the field with the reactor image and pressing OPONb, you get inside. Inside are four rods, and under each of them is written the amount of its charge. The operational capacity of the reactor is determined by the sum of the charges of these rods. Moving left and right across the numbers, you can press OPONb to exchange the charge of a rod for a charge that klp2 carries (the right drum on the panel). The reactor operates with a sum of charges from +1 to +5. If the sum is greater than 5, the reactor is overloaded (overload); if it is equal to or less than zero, it is shut down (shutdown). Both of these cases, unlike stable (normal operating mode), lead to the reactor's failure. Only by neutralizing all reactors can you teleport to the next station. To exit the reactor, you need to select the exit option.
Detailed information about each of the stations can be obtained by penetrating the computer network of MAPNETRON. The computer also stores information on the status of all four reactors of the level.
And here are all possible types of your enemies with complete information on armament and comments.
TYPE V5 VOID DEVICE
CLASS EPSILON
ENGINE HOVERDRIVE
ENERGY BLOCK CYBATIC 1
WEAPON PROTONDISK
DEVICE DUROCELL
The main working droid. Suitable for any dirty work.
TYPE V4 VOID DRONE
CLASS EPSILON
ENGINE MAGNADRIVE
ENERGY BLOCK CYBATIC 2
WEAPON PROTONDISK 2
DEVICE DUROCELL
Special droid engineer, equipped with high destructive power weapons.
TYPE V3 VOID ROBOT
CLASS EPSILON
ENGINE ELECTRODRIVE
ENERGY BLOCK CYBATIC 3
WEAPON PROTONDISK 2
DEVICE DUROCELL
Fast, light droid, adapted for service work on platforms.
TYPE V2 VOID DROID
CLASS EPSILON
ENGINE INTERPHASE
ENERGY BLOCK CYBATIC 3
WEAPON PROTONDISK
DEVICE DUROCELL
Service droid with a high-class engine. Designed for heavy work.
Type P4 Pursuit Drone
Class Delta
Engine Astron
Energy Block Cybatic 4
Weapon Protondisk 2
Device Overdrive
A new type of highly protected droids, equipped with an Overdrive device.
Type P3 Pursuit Robot
Class Delta
Engine Astron
Energy Block Cybatic 4
Weapon Cruiser
Device Overdrive
Has increased protection and experimental "smart weapon".
Type P2 Pursuit Droid
Class Delta
Weapon Syncron
Energy Block Cybatic 4
Weapon Plasmaron
Device Antifreeze
Specially protected droid, equipped with a device that reflects Antidrive actions.
Type P1 Pursuit Cyborg
Class Delta
Engine Syncron
Energy Block Cybatic 4
Weapon Plasmaron
Device Ultraramp
Specially protected droid, equipped with an Ultraramp device.
Type G3 Guard Robot
Class Gamma
Engine Cyclic
Energy Block Neuron 1
Weapon Mortar
Device Grapple
This class of droids is suitable for combat, but the heavy chassis makes them more suitable for guarding duties. The only droid with a Grapple Unit, making its capture impossible.
Type G2 Guard Droid
Class Gamma
Engine Cyclic
Energy Block Neuron 1
Weapon Mortar
Device Durocell
The highest droid with expanded capabilities in low gravity conditions.
Type G1 Guard Cyborg
Class Gamma
Engine Cyclic
Energy Block Neuron 1
Weapon Antidrive
Device Supershield
Combat droid with heavy equipment.
Type F3 Fury Robot
Class Gamma
Engine Interphase
Energy Block Neuron 2
Weapon Bouncing Bomb
Device Supershield
A new prototype of combat droids capable of resisting aliens of any format.
Type F2 Fury Droid
Class Gamma
Engine Interphase
Energy Block Neurone 2
Weapon Bouncing Bomb
Device Scrambler
A new version of police droids equipped with a Scrambler device. Currently in testing.
Type E3 Elite Robot
Class Beta
Engine Ultraphase
Energy Block Neuron 3
Weapon Seeker
Device Antigrav
High-class droid equipped with an anti-gravity device and self-guiding weapon.
Type E2 Elite Droid
Class Beta
Engine Ultraphase
Energy Block Neuron 3
Weapon Seeker
Device Antifreeze
High-class droid specially designed for hunting and destroying aliens.
Type E1 Elite Cyborg
Class Alpha
Engine Ultraphase
Energy Block Neuron 4
Weapon Antidrive
Device Overdrive
"Master of life", a high-class droid created to control all other droids.
Let's take a closer look at the main components of these cybernetic monsters.
Engines come in eight types. Let's list them in order of increasing power:
Hoverdrive Syncron
Magnadrive Cyclic
Electrodriive Interphase
Astron Ultraphase
There are also eight types of energy blocks, but they are divided into two groups:
Cybatic 1 Neuron 1
Cybatic 2 Neuron 2
Cybatic 3 Neuron 3
Cybatic 4 Neuron 4
Types of weapons that you will have to use:
Protondisk - high-power weapon. Designed for working droids. Effective against V2-V5 and P4.
Protondisk2 - powerful Protondisk with increased firing speed.
Cruiser - experimental model of "smart" weapon. The shock wave after the explosion spirals around the master. Still undergoing testing.
Plasmaron - directed wave. Effective against V5-G4.
Mortar - cannon analogue. The projectile flies in an arc, exploding at the end of the trajectory.
Bouncing Bomb - a more powerful version of Mortar.
Antidrive - area-effect weapon (remember Disruptor?) hits enemy engines and leads to their complete destruction after three to four shots.
Seeker - a weapon sample with a self-guiding system for aliens. Externally resembles a boomerang.
Additional devices of the droids:
Durocell - additional energy block (see TV ads!)
Overdrive - additional block to the engine, allowing for fast movement (doesn't it remind you of Pentium Overdrive!?)
Ultraramp - upon collision with the owner of this device, the enemy simply burns (analogous to RAM Thruster from the first part of the game).
Super Shield - protects against enemy weapon hits, although not for long.
Antigrav - makes the droid's chassis springy, which softens its fall.
Antifreeze - protects against Antidrive weapons.
Scrambler - allows for quick ascents and easy climbing up walls.
And finally, I will describe the control panel of KLP2, which is located at the bottom of the game screen (from left to right):
1. Drum - shows the protection of KLP2
2. Letters "M"-"G" - mode indicator
Grapple/Mobile
3. Letter "A" - flashes if the automatic firing mode is on (key "W")
4. Indicator above the window - type of the last defeated droid.
5. Indicator below the window - points scored.
6. Drum - charge that KLP2 carries.
So, all the main points of both games are described, and you can confidently start the mortal battle with the iron civilization. And if anything is unclear (some details were intentionally omitted in the description, otherwise it would be boring to play!) - write, and we will answer all questions from the pages of the magazine.
P.S. If your phone rings during the game, or if an atomic bomb is dropped nearby and you decide to go see the aftermath, don't forget to press the "P" key - it activates pause mode.
-════════════════════════════════════════ * * * * *
Contents of the publication: Oberon #03
- From the Authors
The editorial of the third issue of Oberon reflects on its wide distribution across Russia and nearby countries, overcoming production challenges, and its aim to cater to various readers, including gamers, programmers, and hackers.
- How to Write in Oberon - M.M.A
Guide on submitting articles to Oberon using ZX-WINWORD. Detailed format and process explanations for text, graphics, and music. Insight into editorial practices and preferences.
- Scroll - M.M.A
A historical overview of the game THE EIDOLON on ZX Spectrum, covering its restoration process and gameplay mechanics, including level challenges and story background.
- Scroll
Dark Star is a space shooter game where players pilot a ship against a tyrannical alien race. Players customize settings, navigate space, and combat enemy forces on various difficulty levels. Strategic planning and skill are vital for successful gameplay.
- Scroll - M.M.A
Detailed gameplay mechanics for the game with Mechnotech klp2. Strategy involves disarming reactors and managing droid transformations. Insight into different droid types and weapons available.
- About Everything - M.M.A
Discussion of reader interactions with the 'Oberon' editorial team, including feedback on previous issues and commentary on game compatibility and magazine content improvements.
- About Everything - M.M.A
The autobiographical article explores the author's role in Samara's ZX Spectrum scene, detailing his contributions and aspirations. M.M.A positions himself as a leader and innovator in the community. It highlights the importance of local distribution and cultural impact.
- Amiga rulez? - M.M.A
Critical essay on contemporary computer culture, contrasting IBM and Amiga platforms. Discusses societal impact of IBM standardization and advocates Amiga as a symbol of creativity and individuality. Reflects on the evolution of computer usage and preferences since the ZX Spectrum era.
- What Should 'Boot' Be - Unbeliever
The article explores the evolution of boot programs for ZX Spectrum, discussing early developments and key innovations over time. It highlights significant breakthroughs in automation and design, including fully assembler-written boots and the introduction of modern features. The text concludes with reflections on ideal boot characteristics from a contemporary user's perspective.
- Letter from Queen Software
An open letter from Queen Software criticizes ZX-WINWORD's design and Russian keyboard layout, denounces 'Mortal Compot' and the degradation of games, and shares views on demoscene events and computer emulation.
- Review - Unbeliever
The review provides insights into various 128K exclusive games for the ZX Spectrum, highlighting titles like 'Space Gun', 'World Championship Soccer', and 'Night Breed'. Special attention is given to their graphical prowess and gameplay mechanics. Furthermore, the article addresses the acquisition of Spectrum software via the Internet.
- Review of Assemblers - Maxsoft
Review of various assemblers for ZX Spectrum, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Focus on EDAS 3.3, AFS, XAS, ZX-ASM, ALASM, MASM, and TASM 4.1. Each assembler is evaluated on performance, features, and usability.
- Our Answer - M.M.A
Critical analysis of the electronic journal FAULTLESS, highlighting plagiarism issues and content quality. Discussion on the comparison with OBERON and other journals. Suggestions for improving FAULTLESS are provided.
- Our Response - Alex Noman
Debate over the compatibility and capabilities of Scorpion and Profi computers with the ZX Spectrum. Critique of programming claims by Chung Software regarding outdated languages and methods. Discussion on operating systems like CP/M and iS-DOS in the context of their utility in modern computing.
- Our Response
Exploring the varied interpretations of the term 'hacker' in Russian, highlighting distinctions and misconceptions.
- Hardware - Dr.Death
Connection instructions for AY-3-8910 on Spectrum-compatible machines. Solutions for common audio issues in Russian computers. Advice for improving digital sound compatibility.
- Hardware - Dr.Death
Discussion on modifying SCORPION ZS 256 for better performance, focusing on timing issues and TURBO mode. Explanation of improvements and potential problems with multicolors. Suggestions for further upgrades.
- Hardware - Poltergeist Corp.
Analysis of hardware issues with Profi, a ZX Spectrum clone, focusing on INT signal problems causing graphic flickering. A solution is proposed involving a simple hardware modification. The author shares their success and the widespread adoption in Samara.
- Let's Gurm
A microdrama illustrating the chaotic interaction between computer components during a printing task.
- Let's Feast
Satirical story depicting an alternate reality where American culture and symbols are humorously twisted by Soviet influences.
- Let's Feast
The story humorously describes Popov's efforts to help Papuans progress, amid desert struggles, political intrigue, and personal challenges.
- Let's Discuss
Overview of military jargon known as 'Army Absurdities' collected by students, highlighting unique language and instructions used in military training and communications.
- Let's Feast
Satirical article describing military humor and fictional military equipment.
- Literacy Campaign - Paul Atrides
Analysis of hacker misconceptions and societal attitudes, exploring hacker culture's roots and ethical dilemmas.
- Primer - Paul Atrides
Article discusses the role and activities of Russian hackers in the late 1990s, highlighting notable cases and categorizing different types of hackers. It covers the operations, risks, and impacts of hacking on international and local levels. The text also examines the societal perception of hackers and their portrayal in media.
- Contest - M.M.A
A contest involving identifying songs from poorly translated lyrics, inspired by a radio segment. Participants guess the song and artist. No specific prize yet, but a free journal issue is promised.
- Contest
A poetic reflection on personal struggle, misunderstood communication, and the burden of saving the world.
- Contest
A poetic reflection on isolation and inner dreams, contrasting with harsh reality.
- Contest
The article presents a poetic tribute to the community, emphasizing themes of unity, immortality, and strength through metal music.
- Advertisement
Advertisement in Oberon magazine offers free publication and discusses available software, hardware, and stores related to ZX Spectrum.
- Advertisement
Advertisement of computer repair and upgrades with pricing for various services. Options include drive connection, signal normalization, and memory upgrades. Specific services for different computer models like Pentagon and ATM.
