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"S": Bravo, readers! The flow of letters to us has significantly increased. Thank you to everyone who wrote!
And now the floor is yours, readers of our magazine.
ANSHUKOV VLADIMIR (Norilsk):
Hello! It is very nice that you have become so active in spreading your magazine.
I think readers would be very interested to learn about "WORLD TRANSLATION" and its software support. Please print my letter in "Spectrofon" and maybe someone will respond to this offer?
After all, gentlemen, what creative ideas can be realized with this device! And also, I wonder if there are special graphic scanners (like on IBM PC) for Speccy?...
I would also like to know something about the reasons for the conflict of the disk controller with our "DELTA" drives. Why is it sometimes impossible to format a diskette when using the controller? Although all games and system programs run fine. Please respond, what is the matter?
"S": We address the questions posed by Vladimir to all hardware specialists. Maybe someone can help him? We will gladly print your response.
We would like to add that we have not seen graphic scanners for Speccy, but video scanners that allow digitizing and "feeding" frames from a television or video recorder have recently appeared for sale in Moscow, at the Mitino radio market. We contacted the manufacturers of these video scanners, and they promised to prepare a small article about these devices for "SPECTROFON".
PENZIN Y.P. (Samara):
Please explain how to save the state in the game "ROBIN OF SHERWOOD" ("S"N5)? After "save" appears "ready Tape... Press" without asking for a file name. The disk drive works, but nothing is loaded onto the (other) diskette. Thank you for the great game.
"S": The program saves the deferred state "within itself". Therefore, for the loading to work properly, you need to rewrite the game onto another diskette (or load onto the original).
KNYAZEV ANDREY from Perm offers us disk versions of widely known games (at least in Moscow). This is certainly good, but unfortunately, nothing from this list interested us. Maybe the games prepared by Andrey will interest our readers? For those who wish to contact Andrey, we provide his address:
614090 Perm-90 P.O. Box 2960
Knyazev Andrey
MOMOT DMITRY:
I live in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. There are no centers where you can buy games for Speccy. My friends and I would like to have adventure games, but it is very difficult to find them in our city. Therefore, if possible, we would like to receive games: "SHERLOCK", "HULK"... ("S": further in our reader's letter there is a list of many well-known games). We have all the games on cassettes, there are no disk drives.
"S": It is interesting how Dmitry, without a disk drive, reads "SPECTROFON"? However, we have learned that cassette versions of our magazine have already been created (check the "ADVERTISING" section). As for the games - we remind everyone once again that we do not engage in their distribution, except as part of our magazine. If a game deserves attention - we prepare a description for it and include it in "SPECTROFON". The only thing we can do is publish our reader's address:
693010 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Popovicha St. 23a, apt. 1.
Momot Dmitry
PAVEL KOLYUKHOV AND SERGEY LEBEDINSKY (Rybinsk):
Two people, who have been passionate about "Spectrum" for many years, are writing to you...
We are writing to you on the following issue: in the much unloved DYZZY-6.5 (author O.Moskalenko, adaptation Agaeva Eldar) in the loader, in the scrolling line we read the shocking words: "... in Tsaritsyno, there was a guy who makes an editor for the program "LASER SQUAD"". We kindly ask you to tell us more about this.
"S": We cannot provide any more detailed information about the GUY. A GUY is a GUY, no matter where he is. But the fact that he is writing an editor for "LASER SQUAD" is indeed great. We hope that as soon as the editor is written, we will definitely inform you about it.
And also, since the game DYZZY 7 (O.Moskalenko) has been mentioned again, renamed to DYZZY 6.5. The version of this game prepared by Agaeva E. after adaptation has stopped being "capricious" and may represent certain interest for fans. Although, of course, without dialogues this program still looks a bit dull.
KOLYUKHOV P. and LEBEDINSKY S.:
We decided that a little criticism wouldn't hurt you. The criticism will be regarding the atrocious graphics in your magazine... And in general, announce a competition for the emblem of "Spectrofon".
"S": Is our graphics really so ATROCIOUS? Although, on the whole, you are right. We lack artistic education. While working on the next issue of the magazine, we primarily think about the content, and only then about the design. And it is clear that with such an approach the design may not be up to par. But we try our best. As for the competition - that’s a good idea:
THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE "SPECTROFON" MAGAZINE
ANNOUNCES A COMPETITION FOR THE BEST
EMBLEM AND "HEADER" FOR OUR MAGAZINE.
WORKS ARE ACCEPTED ONLY ON DISKETTES.
THE WINNER OF THE COMPETITION WILL RECEIVE A FRESH ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE.
SEND WORKS TO THE ADDRESS:
125130 MOSCOW P.O. Box 51
GOOD LUCK!
BLAGOVIDOV V.V. (Ufa):
Well done! To bring such a decent magazine to light is quite a job! A week ago, at our Ufa "cloud," I bought (and not for pennies!) from your distributor a full five issues of "SPECTROFON". Well, naturally, I quickly "gobbled" this amount of information.
Now I decided to jot you a little letter and share some thoughts and wishes... Keep going along the same line, comrades... because you are on a path that is undoubtedly right! Let "ZX-REVIEW," which is close to us and loved by all, tell about various problems with "hardware," systems, languages, and programming techniques. We, the avid, poor (the wealthy will probably load "PC-REVIEW" on their PENTIUM) fans of games on Speccy will joyfully clap our hands in the direction of your magazine.
And now listen to a few words about the tastes of an ordinary player, not lacking in wit and moderately dull (i.e., me!)
The best company producing (or has produced?) toys for ZX (and maybe not only for it) is System Three. The graphical and logical qualities of their works are beyond praise. And although they have not released so many programs - I mean such as "TUSKER," "MYTH," "VENDETTA," "LAST NINJA 1&2" (by the way, does anyone have an unspoiled version of L.NINJA 1?) - each of these games is truly a masterpiece. Well, I consider INCENTIVE my favorite company. Taking games from CODE MASTERS (DIZZY, SEYMOUR, etc.) - they are undoubtedly excellent, but usually, they get played through quite quickly. Or text adventures - they are all too complex for my untrained mind, and there is not enough reality in them.
On the other hand, INCENTIVE games are different. Everything is right in front of you! Everything can be examined, touched (patted with a blaster...). You can see it with your own eyes! This is where volumetric graphics should be applied, and not waste resources on some overly complex imitators of various hovercrafts with turbo-blowing of the "Boeing" brand (let those who love such monsters as F-19 or BATTLE COMMAND not be offended - it’s not about them). Games like "TOTAL ECLIPSE 1&2" and "CASTLE MASTER" I completed long before your release, dear "SPECTROFON". And now I happily "grunt," trying to drill through this polluted planet on your Driller-ship...
"S": By the way, has anyone completed the game "DRILLER"? We have encountered problems with the last sector. We still cannot find the entrance. But in general, this game is a brilliant example for all lovers of three-dimensional games.
BLAGOVIDOV V.V.:
I am frantically searching for the game "DARK SIDE" from the same series, as I recently watched a demo of this program.
"S": In Moscow, this game has been on sale for a long time, and many have already completed it. And a more than detailed description can be found in the collections "BEST GAMES" from the CБC company.
BLAGOVIDOV V.V.:
By the way: there are rumors (just rumors, no more) circulating on our cloud that all the above-mentioned masterpieces of INCENTIVE are produced using their own software product called 3D-Construction Kit, about which someone once read something and saw something somewhere...
"S": Here we decided to interrupt our esteemed reader and inform him that the mentioned program 3D-Construction is not a three-dimensional game editor, but a full-fledged game. Although, it is quite possible that this program was supplied in a package with an editor and other necessary utilities. But in any case, we have not encountered an editor as such.
BLAGOVIDOV V.V.:
Well, finally, having overcome all the twists of my scattered thoughts, I have come close to the topic with which I wanted to start my letter. So - Gargole Games! I think you are not hearing about this company and its "magnificent quartet" for the first time: "TIR-NA-NOG," "DUN DARACH," "MARSPORT," "HEAVY ON THE MAGIC." I, in turn, am closely following the promotion of these games in "ZX-REVIEW" and rejoice at the achievements that the guys have made in these incredibly complex games. But I want to say that so far nothing has been published about "MARSPORT" (although "ZX-REVIEW" promised). And although this program may fall short of "HEAVY ON THE MAGIC" in some respects, in my opinion, it will be better than "DUN DARACH." In general, I recently delved into it, and now I suggest you do the same...
"S": Next, our correspondent provides a description of the debut of this interesting game. In the next issue of our magazine, when we prepare the full disk version of the game "MARSPORT" - read the "DEBUT" section. We think you won't be bored: this game is full of undisclosed mysteries and secrets.
For now, we are waiting for new letters. And to avoid boredom, we have to entertain ourselves in any way available to us.
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #08
- Экспертиза - Дмитрий Усманов
Strategy guide for the ZX Spectrum version of HEROQUEST, detailing character actions, mission tips, and important game features.
- Дебют - Анатолий Хоробрых
Review of the strategic game THEY STOLE A MILLION, focusing on planning heists and using a team. Analysis of the game's mechanics and mission structure. Tips on managing resources and executing plans effectively.
- Экзамен
Quiz on the game 'THEY STOLE A MILLION' from the debut section, testing players' knowledge. Previous quiz winners on games 'HERO OF THE LANCE' and 'THE SENTINEL' announced. Fresh magazine issue awarded to winners.
- Обзор
Overview of recent Spectrum programs, focusing on Space Crusade and Dizzy-X games with strategic and adventure elements, plus a game chart.
- С миру по биту
Reader letters discuss ZX Spectrum hardware issues, game preservation, and editorial graphics. A competition for the magazine's logo is announced. Opinions on various ZX Spectrum games are shared.
- С миру по биту
Parody on game descriptions, exploring styles from detailed to absurd across different publishers, focusing on Tetris.
- Реклама
Advertising opportunities and distribution locations for Spectrofon magazine, collaboration invites for authors and artists.
