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"ZX-SPECTRUM" is marching across Russia! This conclusion can be drawn if one gets acquainted with the hundreds of letters that have already arrived at the editorial office of our magazine since its inception. Thank you, friends, for your letters...
KUBATYAN GRIGORY (St. Petersburg): Hello, esteemed editorial staff of the "SPECTROFON" magazine. One of your ardent fans, a "ZX-SPECTRUM" user with three years of experience, is writing to you. As of 02.02.95, I have already received nine issues of your magazine, and as I noticed, there is a clearly keen interest in the game "LASER SQUAD".
So, for fans of games of this type, I have news. There is another similar game, but in it, you will manage not androids or heavily armed paratroopers, but ... a wizard and his servants (I must say, quite curious creatures - from a giant golden dragon to a tiny cave gnome). Perhaps someone has already heard about this game, but for some reason, it is not very popular in our country. I am talking about the game "LORDS OF CHAOS", a detailed description of which is available in the collection "Computer Worlds. Part 2".
By the way, I am the compiler and editor of this collection, and if you decide to mention my letter in your magazine, please also print my sincere apologies to everyone who wrote to us in the editorial office but did not receive a response.
So, about the game "LORDS OF CHAOS", which undoubtedly deserves to be known. If you do not have it, I am ready to send you a diskette with this game. Unfortunately, this program came to me after having been in the hands of some hacker named Stinger, after which in mode 48, the level loading occurs from the disk, and everything else (the Wizard Designer block, unloading and loading the created wizard, etc.) must load from tape.
Moreover, there are only three levels available (just like in "LASER SQUAD"!), although initially, there were clearly more. Also, when creating wizards in the Wizard Designer block, there is a frankly harmful option to infinitely increase Experience - the wizard's experience, which makes the game completely uninteresting, and the pitiful attempts of the enemy wizard to destroy the army of demons, phantoms, and dragons you have assembled look simply ridiculous.
If all these problems do not scare you, please let me know your decision in a letter or in the next issue of the "SPECTROFON" magazine, which I buy regularly.
"S": These problems do not scare us. Send it. We hope that we can bring the game to a normal state, eliminate the silly "bugs" from it, and share this game with all our readers.
MIKHAILOV A.N. (Izhevsk): Hello! If you still need an editor for the "LASER SQUAD" program (in color), I can send you a demo version (and subsequently the editor itself).
"S": Well, we waited for this! Of course, send it. We will be happy to see what you have done.
ZHDANOV DMITRY (Arkhangelsk region, Mirny): Recently, I bought two issues of your magazine (6 and 7). I liked them very much, but unfortunately, I couldn't find other issues in our city. So I want to ask you if there is a subscription to your magazine or if it can be purchased in another way?
"S": Regarding the subscription, read in "S"N9. The only thing to add is that we are not opening a subscription for our magazine yet. But you can purchase the latest issues at "INFORKOM". Each issue of the magazine has detailed information about this in the "ADVERTISING" section.
ZHDANOV DMITRY: Please tell me more about the scoring in the game "ELITE-3".
"S": Should I understand in the Novosibirsk version? We did not specifically deal with this issue. It is possible that in this version, points are awarded as in the "native" game, only in the Novosibirsk version, additional points are awarded for destroying two new ships: "gecko" and "mamba".
ZHDANOV DMITRY: In the description of the fourth mission, a drawing of the star system is provided. Could you tell me in which of the eight galaxies this system is? Maybe I searched poorly, but after reviewing all the galaxy maps, I couldn't find it!
"S": It would be surprising if you found it. Such a galaxy does not exist. We simply showed in the drawing the so-called main diagonal, where mineral life should be searched. This diagonal is located in any of the eight galaxies.
ZHDANOV DMITRY: Could you send a description of "SOUND TRACKER"?
"S": No. But we were planning to publish a detailed description of this music editor in our magazine. Unfortunately, those who promised us to prepare this description have seemingly vanished, so now we are preparing this description ourselves. But this will take time. So please wait a bit.
G.M. (Yekaterinburg): Recently, we got a new "DIZZY" called "DIZZY X. Journey to Russia". The game is marked 1994 and was made by Korshov Sergey from St. Petersburg. It is quite well done, I did not notice any errors. The sprites have mostly been redone. I completed the whole game. It was not easy. Overall, I liked the game.
This game led me to some reflections: soon someone, having completed this game, will surely want to write a description. I believe it is unfair to the authors and users. The entire interest of the game disappears when you look at the description and do everything as it says. Then this player stands up and says he completed the whole game. But he didn't complete it; he just flew through it. Wouldn't it be more interesting to complete the game by breaking your head a little?
I noticed that if a player is struggling, he immediately reaches for the description and then simply cannot tear himself away from it. And the game is completed, the user abandons it, although he could have played for a long time... Therefore, I am against any descriptions and sequences of actions. I think the editorial staff of "SPECTROFON" will support me.
"S": You are generally right, but that is what distinguishes a good description from a bad one: after reading a good one, you want to sit down and play right away... And after reading a bad one, at best, you "finish" the game in an hour with the help of blatant hints provided there. We try not to give blatant hints in descriptions to not dampen a person's interest in the game. By the way, that’s why we did not publish the computer novella for "DIZZY X", which we have already received.
Recently, we heard rumors that the author of "DIZZY X" is preparing new games "DIZZY Y" and "DIZZY Z", so expect new adventures of the popular hero.
G.M.: Dear users! Instead of describing such games, it would be more respectful if you dealt with imitators or RPG games, strategic ones, etc. Bright examples: ENIGMA FORCE, QUASATRON...
MINUS & JOHN SOFT (Yekaterinburg): Help with the game "ESPIONAGE ISLAND": does the inscription "RICK WAS 'ERE 27/09" have any significance?
"S": Be sure to remember this inscription. It will come in handy at the end of the game. In any adventure game, nothing is written just for fun.
MINUS & JOHN SOFT: How to get into the dark corner? What to do with the native girl?
"S": Besides sight and hearing, a person also has touch. Try giving the command "FEEL". When you figure out the dark corner, it will immediately become clear what to do with the native girl (of course not what you thought).
MINUS & JOHN SOFT: How to get out of the swamp?
"S": You need to pass through the swamp calmly and without panic: north, south, north, west, etc. The route there is completely irrational.
GORDEEV EVGENY (Zlatoust): I am writing to you regarding ELITE-2, which was written by Kladow. Here’s what happened.
It all started when I completed all the standard missions and reached the Deadly rating, after which I saved the game to disk. And after unloading, I flew out of the station, turned on the rear screen, and began to release Alien Items into the station. I also hit the station with missiles.
For some reason, the station did not turn on the ECM, but police ships flew out. They began to shoot at the Alien Items and my missiles, not forgetting about me, of course.
I watched this battle and suddenly noticed that my missile reached the station and blew it up. After the peaceful station was destroyed, the message "Right on..." lit up. I was very surprised, pressed "H", and flew to another planet. Despite the approving message, my status was "outlaw". I flew to the station and made a save.
After this incident, I started doing this: after destroying the station, I "cleared" myself, and then I would destroy the station again. For those who want to try, I will write in more detail.
If you want to destroy the station, you will need: Alien Computer, Alien Items, and the ECM Jammer system.
So, let's begin:
The first method: after flying out of the station, you need to approach the station from behind, get closer, and release Alien Items. They will destroy it. The police won't have time to do anything.
The second method: After flying out, turn around and start docking with the station. But you need to fly not directly to the airlock, but a little to the side of it. Adjust the missile and fly at low speed. As soon as the distance becomes minimal - release the missile. This is effective only when you have the ECM Jammer on board.
I used this method only once, so it’s too early to judge its reliability...
"S": Thank you, Evgeny, for your research. As you can see from your letter, space piracy is not standing still and seeks (and finds!) new and ingenious ways to wage war against peaceful stations. Will the law-abiding traders respond in some way?
DUBROVIN A.V. (Volgograd): Hello, esteemed editorial staff of the "SPECTROFON" magazine. I am your regular reader and have all the issues of your magazine. I have been working with Speccy for quite a long time and have a large collection of games, but I am particularly fascinated by adventure games. It is a pity that your magazine, publishing such genre games in the "DEBUT" section, completely abandons them in subsequent issues. Can't we return to them on the pages of your magazine?
"S": A reasonable remark, I must say. Indeed, we discuss these games in responses to questions in the "FROM THE WORLD A BIT" section, but considering the wishes of our reader, starting from this issue, we are opening a new section "STORM", where we will "storm" the games described in the "DEBUT".
For those who want to correspond with our reader about adventure games, here is his address:
400113 Volgograd, pr. Geroev Stalingrada, d.37, kv.141. To Dubrovin Alexey Vladimirovich.
PROTSENKO A.V. (Samara region): I prefer to play games on backup copies, but in the first two issues, the loaders are encoded.
Of course, they can be cracked, but... I ask you, if it's not difficult, to indicate the location on the disk (track, sector, number of sectors), as well as the loading and launching addresses of the following games:...
"S": It would probably be easier if you send these two issues to "INFORKOM", and they will exchange them for new ones where the games are not protected.
PENZIN Y.P. (Samara): Hello! First of all, thank you for publishing "THE SENTINEL" and searching for "F-19 STEALTH FIGHTER".
About the game "BATTLE COMMAND": "PHOENIX" (RRSA, IRSA) are ground-to-ground class missiles, not ground-to-air. Try to shoot down a helicopter with them - you'll see.
"S": No, that's not true. The "PHOENIX" missiles of both types (radar (R) and infrared (I) /referring to the principle of the targeting guidance system/) belong to the ground-to-air class (SA): SURFACE - AIR. This is what this abbreviation stands for (literally: surface - air). And it is these missiles that are used to shoot down planes and helicopters. Try adjusting the height with the J,K keys - see for yourself.
PENZIN Y.P.: SKEET BOMB - very effective in the HIDEOUT and GRAND FINALE missions for protection against pursuing helicopters.
"S": That is indeed the case, but when the armor of your tank withstands any, even the most powerful air bombardment, is it worth getting into a fight if you have another, more important goal? Well, only for the sake of having a few extra points at the end of the game? After all, that’s what makes the game good, when its internal balance (the approximate equality of your forces and the opponent's) forces you to choose specific types of weapons for a specific goal. And if it's easy for you to escape from any, even the most fearsome enemy? And if the main goal is not to destroy helicopters, but something else? In short, we still believe that in "BATTLE COMMAND" the game balance is not fully thought out, and therefore SKEET BOMBS are not really needed.
PENZIN Y.P.: About the game "ELITE-2" (Novosibirsk version), cracked by Kropachev from Tver.
a) After purchasing the "Cobra MK-4" ship, when trying to use the "F" key to increase maneuverability, when working with the "A" and "Z" keys, the ship rapidly moves away from the planet.
b) The rotation of the turret with the laser does not work - SYMB+A (input through "pause").
Could these be the errors mentioned by Kladow?
And one more thing, for statistics: on my Pentagone 777, "THEY STOLE A MILLION" does not work. The INT signal is normal, the data bus is stable, there is a port FF..kad.
"S": This is not the first signal. Our reader Kirillova A.A. from Novgorod has similar problems, but her computer is "SCORPION ZC 256". But on our machines, the program works without failures. What are your thoughts?
MK SOFT LTD. (Novosibirsk): Hello, "SPECTROFON"! This is Mikhail Vladimirovich Koshkin. Perhaps you have heard of me. Is there a series of my "demos" "OUR LIFE" 1,2,3 going around there in Moscow? Long before your magazine appeared, my friend and I wanted to publish our... But numerous problems, as well as a lack of free time... In general, the format fell from disk to newspaper. Four pages of A4 format. It was not profitable to publish on disk. The magazine was published under the concise title "WSW" (WELCOME TO SPECCY WORLD).
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #11
- Expertise - Дмитрий Усманов
Detailed manual for exploring a magical castle with focus on actions like opening chests and managing resources. Discusses survival strategies, character interactions, and solving mysteries in Zob's castle. Includes handling dangerous elements and exploiting magical properties.
- Assault
Discussion on game Mindfighter with reader insights, strategies, and puzzles. Exploration of gameplay mechanics through letters. Reveals challenges in progressing and interactive narrative elements.
- Premiere
Introduction of new software section featuring 'NOTEBOOK', a simple notepad program for ZX Spectrum by Andrey Egorov. Includes description of functionality and comparison with similar software. Also highlights the release of 'COLOR LINES', a game resembling 'TETRIS'.
- Review - Станислав Ефимов
Review of chess programs for ZX Spectrum with a focus on algorithms and features. Highlights strengths and weaknesses of popular programs like IS-Chess, Spectrum Voice Chess, and Colossus Chess 4. Offers insights into choosing the right chess software.
- Bits and Pieces
Discussion of various games and issues related to ZX Spectrum, including insights on 'Lords of Chaos' and tips for 'Elite-2' game.
- System - Станислав Ефимов
Discussion of undocumented features of the Z-80 processor and their use in programming. Examination of unofficial instructions and their applications in software. Insights into memory management and peculiarities of the ZX Spectrum architecture.
- Advertisement
Advertisement for purchasing 'SPECTROFON' magazine, calls for authors of programs, and offers distributor licenses across Russia.
