dMagnetic v0.29 by Dettus is available for several versions of Unix (BSD, Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo) with ANSI drawing in a terminal. This utility lets you play adventure games by Magnetic Scrolls. This version adds support for extended DSK.
The emulator is using the original files of the games for Amstrad CPC, C64, msdos, windows (1991 compilation), .MAG et .GFX files on the magnetic scrolls memorial.
A.L.C.O.N. 2020 is a shoot them up already existing on Amstrad CPC since 1987. Abalore started to work on a remake in 2016 and it's now available.
The PlayCity extension is not required but recommended to hear the full 6 in-game audio channels. A 2-button gamepad or joystick (best) is also a nice addition to enjoy the full arcade experience.
Programmation is by d'Abalore, graphics by TotO, and music by Targhan.
Infocom is a company created in June 1979 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) staff and students. This company has created well known adventure games (interactive fiction).
They choose an interesting solution to create their adventure games, they could have created games and adapt them on other platforms, instead they choosed to separate the game engine and the game data. So they only have to write an new game engine for each computer.
This game interpreter or virtual machine is called the Z-machine. It was created by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979. The original compiler by Infocom has been lost but Graham Nelson has written in 1993 Inform which can ccompile the source of an adventure game for the Z-machine virtual machine or for the Glulx virtual machine (which removes some limitations of the original virtual machine by Infocom).
The compiler Inform 6 since the v6.30 can compile either for Z-machine or Glulx virtual machine. There is also a version 7 of Inform.
And now comes PunyInform v1.8 by Fredrik Ramsberg and Johan Berntsson which is a library written in Inform 6 to create adventure game (pure text, no graphic support contrary to DAAD) using the Z-machine virtual machine which will run on 8bit computers (or more recent computers too). PunyInform has a parser, knowing of common verbs and a framework to write adventure games.
PunyInform is based on the Inform 6 library written by Graham Nelson. Its goal is to make easily adventure games in Inform 6, with a manual describing the differences between the official library and PunyInform..
Games using PunyInform can be compiled in z3, z5 and z8 format (z3 being the best format for 8bit computers, other formats have more features). Compared to the Inform 6 library, it means that there is no support for the Glulx virtual machine but z3 format is important as Inform 6 doesnt support it.
To compile games written with PunyInform, you should use the Inform 6 compiler maintained by David Kinder. Binaries are available on if-archive. PunyInform needs Inform v6.34 (or more).
They are tutorials to write adventure game with PunyInform (end of the page).
To try your game after compilation, you can use WinFrotz by David Kinder, to create map easily you can use Trizbort.
dMagnetic v0.28 by Dettus is available for several versions of Unix (BSD, Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo) with ANSI drawing in a terminal. This utility lets you play adventure games by Magnetic Scrolls. This version adds support for extended DSK.
The emulator is using the original files of the games for Amstrad CPC, C64, msdos, windows (1991 compilation), .MAG et .GFX files on the magnetic scrolls memorial.
Salvador Cantero is the author of Robbie Strikes Back (Amstrad CPC version of Pssst for ZX Spectrum) released in 2018.
He did participate at the CPCRetroDev 2020 for which he won the second place for his game Sorcerers. He wrote the game's code, graphics, cover and manual. McKlain wrote the music and sound effects, Dany Cantero wrote the translations and Blackmores did the game tests.
The game can be played solo and with someone else in competitive mode where you will have to be faster than the other player. In both game mode you will have to collect coins of 1 of 5 to buy potion ingredients. But pay attention to the ingredients price as if you collect too much money you will need to go to the well to start from scratch. When you will have collected the 5 potions needed you will be able to open the door for the next level.
As I played the game I can say that everything is nice : gameplay, graphics, music. So it's not a surprise that it got the second place and also got more awards : Relevo Mention, the Geek-net Award and the IndieGameMusic Award.
The game is available as a disk and tape image for the Amstrad CPC but there is also an .APK file if you want to play on an Android phone or tablet.
The source code of Sorceres is available on CPCRetroDev 2020 web page.
CNGSoft has written for the CPCRetroDev 2020 the game Fire Tyre which a second version has been released the 17th November 2020.
It's a car running game written in only a week which of course uses CNGSoft's CHIPNSFX utility for the music and sound effects. You must finish the 4 tracks in a limited time, 6 laps for each track (clock wise and anti-clockwise). For each lap done you will get more time. The car has two manual gears : low and high. Low gear can only move the car up to 100 miles per hour, high gear up to 180. If a car hits you from behind (impossible to see) then you will loose some speed so watch your gear !
I played the game with CPCEC which is of course the Amstrad CPC(+) emulator by CNGSoft. First I was using the joystick to accelerate and braking (up and down) and the button to change gear but it was hard to play. The game is much easier if you use a button to accelerate and the second button to change gear, braking was configured to the down direction of the joystick but never used. I think that the game would be easier and more enjoyable with no gear changing needed.
The graphics are simple but nice, the musics (introduction and during play) are from C64 games and nice to listen. The big gameplay problem to me is loosing speed after being hit from behind which you cant avoid, and if you forget to change gear it hurts !
Classic Adventurer is a newspaper about adventure games which last issue is a special edition and is out as a free download or in printed format.
This issue has for example an article about games about the Tolkien books, and more of course.
The finale version of the adventure game Tristam Island by Hugo Labrande is available for 3,99 dollars only. The demo version limited to the first chapter with a gameplay estimated to 1 hour-1 hour 30 (first part of the game) is still available.
This adventure game uses the PunyInform engine by Fredrik Ramsberg. It is in fact available for 36 platforms (8, 16, 32 and 64 bits), including the Amstrad CPC and PCW.
Simon Owen, the author of SAMdisk has written Augmentinel (remake of The Sentinel) with VR support. He is using the original ZX Spectrum game under emulation but with better graphics and C64 sound.
Since v1.0 released the 1st April 2019, they are the following modifications that you will be able to check yourself.
Something to follow closely, a demo of the famous PC adventure game for Amstrad in the work. You can see a video of game screens, no gameplay though.
There are 51 games in competition but you will only be able to see 49 trailers for the CPCRetroDev 2020 on Youtube.
Arnaud Bouche is the author of Bitume (CPCRetroDev 2017) and Deeper Warrens (CPCRetroDev 2018). For the CPCRetroDev 2020 he has written Throne Legacy inspired by l'Aigle d'Or (golden eagle) from which you can see some gameplay on Youtube.
The game was written with CPCPower and Titan for intro (and story), Ced for making and greatly improving graphics and SLT for tireless testing.
The game is using CPCTelera and Arkos Tracker.
I am late but a preview of Ghost'n Goblins for Amstrad CPC 6128+ by Frédéric Poesy, Thomas Ferté and Julien Riet is available since April 2020 after 4 years of development. This preview is an Amstrad CPC+ cartridge image, not an image disk. To access the game parameters, please press space or button 1 during cartridge boot.
BDCIron has done a video of this preview.
A remake of North and South announced by Microïds two years ago of the original game by Infogrames is now available on PC, Switch, Xbox et PS4.
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