11-28-2022, 02:15 PM
Feel like the warmth around the site has gone...
Spectrum
Crazy Cars
Finally figured out how to organize the sheets. Outside of the road and the barriers, nearly everything has been ripped. Also working on the game that uses the same engine or at least the same programmer Fire & Forget as well.
Match Day / International Match Day
Have to have something for the World Cup. Both versions have the same sprites and outside of the loading screen, most of the graphics are the same too. The only reasons why International Match Day exists are to tie in with the 1986 World Cup but Ocean released it AFTER it ended, upgrade from 48k to 128k to show off the new Spectrum models (adding a much better version of the Match of the Day theme song and a crowd done by the AY chip) and as a take that to US Gold since this game was going to be World Cup Carnival. Yep. Also it is very strange that this is a Spectrum exclusive, Match Day was released on the Amstrad and the C64 as well along with its sequel but not this. Probably for the fact that barely anything was done on the update...
While doing this, I've managed to find a way of ripping the raw graphics for the loading screen using this tip. Had to have the width at 256px and still had to move a pixel up on half of the blocks. Considering both YY-CHR and TileGGD failed on this one with savestates err... I meant snapshots as well as not showing up on ZXSEC. The only Spectrum emulator that can view these loading screens raw is ZXSpin but the emulator to put it bluntly is broken. This also means that all my loading screen rips would have to have an update that's an ongoing process...
Paris to Dakar
This game only exists as a Z80 savestate and no proper tape rips exist because Codemasters had denied Spectrum focused websites of preserving the games. It also doesn't help that the common ones floating about have no sound at all and possibly broken (only the 128k savestate has the sound/music and the closest to the correct version). This is why preservation is important because games will get lost and since this was a late commercial era Spectrum game, not many copies would have been made and due to the medium have a higher risk of non-working tapes. Besides EA bought the company and it's not like they are ever going to be re-releasing their games when they're working on the latest F1 game (with the exception of the Oliver Twins output due to their wise decision of allowing their games to be preserved and think they own the Dizzy stuff now).
Before anyone checks, there are tape rips of Paris-Dakar but that's a completely different game by Ziggurat as they are both inspired by the Paris-Dakar Rally or Dakar as it is known now.
Crazy Cars 2
Peter Beardsley's International Football
Still working on the loading screen for this one since it's actually harder to do than the players sheet. While the full colour one and the raw graphics are ripped, it has a palette cycle once the tape is loaded one that you couldn't recolor due to the way it is set up. Oh and it reveals a hidden credit covered up by the palette. What looks like DC... Possibly Dave Colledge who worked at Teque/Krisalis that developed the game?
(Did look into the Atari ST version and found the sprites but palette troubles and bitplane unsureness meant that it's on the backburner. As for why the ST, it's because a majority of games from launch to around 1990 but some after that focused on the ST as the lead platform and generally got an Amiga port, usually the latter was done fairly quickly with a lower frame rate, palette differences and usually with a better soundtrack.)
It's getting closer to the home stretch now...
Game Boy
Bubble Bobble Part 2
Ripping backgrounds by moonlight...
(Rounds 25, 27, 35, 37 and 39 have to do a bit extra work due to palette cycles on the warps. Rounds 61-80 have some animation regarding the flame.)
Amstrad
Space Racer
Just shows how bad my backlog is... Started ripping on August 1, then the rival was ripped nearly 2 months ago, only just finished off the player. Nearly 5 months for what it takes other rippers a day or two.
Was very close to having Titus Classiques done except that I'm a bit stumped. Not sure whether to have one game each (Classiques Volume 1 and Classiques Volume 2) or to have both Classique collections bundled together like with the Microsoft Arcade collections.
Anyway have decided to cut down on the loading screens once I've gone through both the backlog and the games on the site (not every game has a loading screen on computers). Simply put, I don't even know what's going on here anymore... Whose to say in the future that those along with title screens will get rejected for not being useful in a random comment (or hidden away in social media channels that not everyone uses) or even only allowing popular games because they generate easy views and comments. Then it gets a bit tribal when more than one ripper claimed to rip the popular game and the way that they want to rip arguing on what sheets to claim and the method to do it. I know a lot of games that I have ripped for the past 10 years or so aren't popular with some that don't even have a fan base but have done it just to show a part of gaming that's forgotten as time goes by and know that I'm not the only ripper who feels this way. When you feel demotivated because you wouldn't know what to do anymore.
Along those lines have ripped from Taito Variety Pack on the Game Boy quite a while ago:
Japanese version (finished June 11 2022)
![[Image: LTyZv73BD6Np.png]](https://gcdnb.pbrd.co/images/LTyZv73BD6Np.png)
Chinese version (ripped June 30 2022 and yes it was officially released with some background info)
![[Image: GuhjfuY3ollw.png]](https://gcdnb.pbrd.co/images/GuhjfuY3ollw.png)
The only reason why I haven't submitted is well... That's literally it from the game.
Spectrum
Crazy Cars
Cars
Mercedes 560 SEC
Lamborghini Countach 5000S
Porsche 911 Turbo
Backgrounds
Finally figured out how to organize the sheets. Outside of the road and the barriers, nearly everything has been ripped. Also working on the game that uses the same engine or at least the same programmer Fire & Forget as well.
Match Day / International Match Day
Players
Have to have something for the World Cup. Both versions have the same sprites and outside of the loading screen, most of the graphics are the same too. The only reasons why International Match Day exists are to tie in with the 1986 World Cup but Ocean released it AFTER it ended, upgrade from 48k to 128k to show off the new Spectrum models (adding a much better version of the Match of the Day theme song and a crowd done by the AY chip) and as a take that to US Gold since this game was going to be World Cup Carnival. Yep. Also it is very strange that this is a Spectrum exclusive, Match Day was released on the Amstrad and the C64 as well along with its sequel but not this. Probably for the fact that barely anything was done on the update...
While doing this, I've managed to find a way of ripping the raw graphics for the loading screen using this tip. Had to have the width at 256px and still had to move a pixel up on half of the blocks. Considering both YY-CHR and TileGGD failed on this one with savestates err... I meant snapshots as well as not showing up on ZXSEC. The only Spectrum emulator that can view these loading screens raw is ZXSpin but the emulator to put it bluntly is broken. This also means that all my loading screen rips would have to have an update that's an ongoing process...
Paris to Dakar
Bike
Metro 6R4 Rally Car
Truck
Items
Roadside Objects
This game only exists as a Z80 savestate and no proper tape rips exist because Codemasters had denied Spectrum focused websites of preserving the games. It also doesn't help that the common ones floating about have no sound at all and possibly broken (only the 128k savestate has the sound/music and the closest to the correct version). This is why preservation is important because games will get lost and since this was a late commercial era Spectrum game, not many copies would have been made and due to the medium have a higher risk of non-working tapes. Besides EA bought the company and it's not like they are ever going to be re-releasing their games when they're working on the latest F1 game (with the exception of the Oliver Twins output due to their wise decision of allowing their games to be preserved and think they own the Dizzy stuff now).
Before anyone checks, there are tape rips of Paris-Dakar but that's a completely different game by Ziggurat as they are both inspired by the Paris-Dakar Rally or Dakar as it is known now.
Crazy Cars 2
Ferrari F40
Police Car
Peter Beardsley's International Football
Players
Still working on the loading screen for this one since it's actually harder to do than the players sheet. While the full colour one and the raw graphics are ripped, it has a palette cycle once the tape is loaded one that you couldn't recolor due to the way it is set up. Oh and it reveals a hidden credit covered up by the palette. What looks like DC... Possibly Dave Colledge who worked at Teque/Krisalis that developed the game?
(Did look into the Atari ST version and found the sprites but palette troubles and bitplane unsureness meant that it's on the backburner. As for why the ST, it's because a majority of games from launch to around 1990 but some after that focused on the ST as the lead platform and generally got an Amiga port, usually the latter was done fairly quickly with a lower frame rate, palette differences and usually with a better soundtrack.)
It's getting closer to the home stretch now...
Game Boy
Bubble Bobble Part 2
Round 21
Round 22
Round 23
Round 24
Round 26
Round 28
Round 29
Round 30
Round 31
Round 32
Round 33
Round 34
Round 36
Round 38
Round 40
Round 41
Round 42
Round 43
Round 44
Round 45
Round 46
Round 47
Round 48
Round 49
Round 50
Round 51
Round 52
Round 53
Round 54
Round 55
Round 56
Round 57
Round 58
Round 59
Round 60
Ripping backgrounds by moonlight...
(Rounds 25, 27, 35, 37 and 39 have to do a bit extra work due to palette cycles on the warps. Rounds 61-80 have some animation regarding the flame.)
Amstrad
Space Racer
Player
Rival
Just shows how bad my backlog is... Started ripping on August 1, then the rival was ripped nearly 2 months ago, only just finished off the player. Nearly 5 months for what it takes other rippers a day or two.
Was very close to having Titus Classiques done except that I'm a bit stumped. Not sure whether to have one game each (Classiques Volume 1 and Classiques Volume 2) or to have both Classique collections bundled together like with the Microsoft Arcade collections.
Anyway have decided to cut down on the loading screens once I've gone through both the backlog and the games on the site (not every game has a loading screen on computers). Simply put, I don't even know what's going on here anymore... Whose to say in the future that those along with title screens will get rejected for not being useful in a random comment (or hidden away in social media channels that not everyone uses) or even only allowing popular games because they generate easy views and comments. Then it gets a bit tribal when more than one ripper claimed to rip the popular game and the way that they want to rip arguing on what sheets to claim and the method to do it. I know a lot of games that I have ripped for the past 10 years or so aren't popular with some that don't even have a fan base but have done it just to show a part of gaming that's forgotten as time goes by and know that I'm not the only ripper who feels this way. When you feel demotivated because you wouldn't know what to do anymore.
Along those lines have ripped from Taito Variety Pack on the Game Boy quite a while ago:
Japanese version (finished June 11 2022)
Chinese version (ripped June 30 2022 and yes it was officially released with some background info)
The only reason why I haven't submitted is well... That's literally it from the game.