I've finally started to make progress. I don't claim to fully 'get it' yet, but I'm starting to feel my way around and find ways to win most times. Initially it was a confusing hall of mirrors, but now I'm enjoying it!
Can I double check that the 'no generative Ai' tag is being used knowingly? I'm reviewing this for BreakSpace magazine and we currently don't review games made with Ai.
Re the graphics - I assume they're directly ported from the PC version without much tinkering? I see you're a member on the SC forum. If you were interested in doing any future updates, it might be worth posting the speccy graphics templates you have and seeing if any of the graphics wizards can suggest refinements? The chess pieces could be easily made less chunky for example.
Ta for the game. Can you explain the anvil, granite, clock and road in more detail and what they look like on the Spectrum please - the ported graphics are pretty cryptic
How do I complete part 1? I've collected the TV, gearcog, energy collector, and cassette. Iassumed I needed to return to the white platform on the first screen but nothing happens.
Great game. I thought it was too hard at first, but with some application I can see why you designed it that way. I do still think the difficulty should be reduced slightly as currently it will discourage some players.
Ta for the game. You clearly know the subject well - lots of research. Maybe the Spectrum does help with the homework after all!
How do I do the 3rd stage burn? I'm stuck in lower earth orbit and don't know the command to make the trans-lunar leap happen (or have I got something wrong earlier?)
Ha I'd forgotten to open the wardrobe. I now have the trunk. I still feel I'm missing something, because it looks like I now need 3 keys and can't even get 1, and I think I need to get upstairs in the house but can't do that either.
By the way there's a bit of translation missing: when you have the trunk down. If you try USE HOOK ON TRUNK it answers in Czech: To neni spatny napad, ale nepujde to
Loving this - I see why it's got the horror tag now!
Any chance of a hint? Just one step. I'm stuck.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
I'm in the forest. I've been in the house but can't get upstairs. I've found the altar. I can't get the trunk off the wardrobe. I can't get the Kinder from the barrel. I can't do anything with the cable. I can't do anything at the pond.
Good fun, but I'm terrible at it! I can't seem to get the balance right. Whenever I'm making steam I can't control it, and whenever I'm in control I'm not making steam!
Any chance of some starting tips? E.g. withdraw outer rods slowly, cooling to 10%, wait 10 mins. (I have read the manual)
Cheers and congrats! Writing a usable chemistry utility for the Speccy in 2026 is achievement enough, but making it one of the best for any platform is most definitely Aceworthy!
How finalised is this? Is it as good as released (and therefore viable to be given a ZXDB ID and also be reviewed in the upcoming Break Space magazine? ÷)
Fun game. Hard! On level 4 it looks impossible to collect the block at the bottom. The solid platform above the conveyor can't allow a jump high enough as far as I can see. Am I missing a trick?
Btw I'll be reviewing this for the next issue of Break Space magazine. Is the available version the final release or are there any updates in the pipeline?
RANDOMIZE fixes what the random number sequence that RND uses will be. If you RANDOMIZE a number more than zero, it sets the same (for that number) series of 'random' numbers every time. If you RANDOMIZE 0 (or just RANDOMIZE) it sets a different series every time based on the spectrum's clock. If you try the following with RANDOMIZE number versus RANDOMIZE you'll see the difference. The former will give the same sequence every time you RUN, the latter will be different every time.
Yeah the loading POKEs can make a BASIC game go funny. It took me a few tries! In the TAP below, check out the first loader, which I restructured to just one line. The loading message POKE is 23739,111. Then in your main game, check line 3. I moved your POKEs there, and a PAUSE 0 so it waits for a keypress for all the people using turbo loaders.
The CLEAR is to reset the system variables, because the POKE 23739 can mess things up sometimes.
I put RANDOMIZE there too, because it looks like you get the same game every time in the original version.
Love this. Great backstory too. @bedroom coder, it's possible to have the loading screen not be obscured by the following load message. I've put a TAP together demonstrating this, and a randomise idea. Are you interested in seeing it?
Finished. Great stuff and looking forward to part 3.
BTW the colours of the mechanism are wrong in the solution, and I can't unzip the 'Old Envelope' file. I get a pop up for all 3 files inside and it won't do them.
Thanks for the reply and the games Luis! I went on quite a journey with 'Echoes' for about a fortnight :)
I did wonder in my review about the text area, since most GAC games do obey the same screen layout as your games. I checked before writing and saw several GAC games that allow much larger text areas, e.g. 'Play It Again Sam', 'Not The Lord Of The Rings', 'Pete Bog,' and 'Murder, Mystery'.
I'm not as familiar with GAC as you. Are these examples unusual extensions of the regular engine?
If I've made a mistake I can clarify in the next issue.
Cheers
Dave
PS - it's also a proud member of the 'Maoi cameo' group in ZXDB
Ah - the part 2 walkthrough is actually a .docx, so if you rename the file to 'ECHOES 2 - SAHARA SOLUTION.docx' it's readble. I reached the very last stage without it at least, but I missed an object very early on in the game and had to go all the way back
Congrats Roger and Sisko. Great game.