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Author Topic: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise (Read 9386 times)

Offline samwise

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Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« on: 2009.August.22. 13:07:45 »
Hi,

I've managed to stumble across a digital copy of what I /think/ is an official port of Chuckie Egg to the Enterprise.  I've never been sure before that this game was ever ported to the Enterprise and was wondering whether anyone here actually had a physical copy of it?  It looks very similar to the original Spectrum version, but I assume the Enterprise computer's architecture is different enough to mean it isn't just a fan port of that version.

I'm particularly keen to know the year it was released, whether it was supplied on cassette or disk and, if at all possible, I'd love a scan of the packaging and media!

Anyone got this in there collection?

Thanks,

Sam.

« Last Edit: 2009.August.23. 12:20:50 by samwise »

Offline endi

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #1 on: 2009.August.23. 09:51:05 »
Can you upload it?
Vigyázat! Szektás vagyok! :)

Offline szipucsu

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #2 on: 2009.August.23. 11:28:58 »
Welcome in the forum, Samwise!
I don't think Chuchkie Egg is an official conversion of the Spectrum game. There are a large number of non-official games for the Enterprise.
We have a lot of packages of Enterprise games (here you can see them - sorry, the page is in Hungarian) but we haven't heard about the official version of this game, I think. Maybe Zozosoft can have one, he has so many surprising stuff. :D

On the page mentioned above there are some non-official packages (under "Kazettaborító terv"), some members of the forum designed packages for non-official games, just for fun.
« Last Edit: 2009.August.23. 12:30:44 by szipucsu »
100 SOUND SOURCE 2,STYLE 128,PITCH 25.2,SYNC 1
110 SOUND PITCH 25,SYNC 1
120 ! Videos

Offline samwise

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #3 on: 2009.August.23. 12:35:43 »
endi, I hope this board doesn't have any rules against posting links - I found the Enterprise version of Chuckie Egg, pictured in the screenshot above over at the www.theoldcomputer.com website.

Hi, szipucsu!  Thank you.  :)

Disappointing to hear you think it might be an unofficial conversion - I run a fan-site for this particular game, hence my interest.  However, the reason I thought it might be official is that there are numerous differences between the official Spectrum release and this one; the second set of keys are slightly different as the Enterprise 128 version supports a native joystick. The player starts with six lives, instead of four and, most strikingly, the status bars of information at the top are in blue, rather than red in the Spectrum release. There is no little tune at the start of the game, or when Harry dies and the animated rectangles between levels are mainly red and blue, instead of many colours. There is also a pause just before the start of each life, which requires a key press to begin or continue the game, allowing you to take a little breather.

Was it common for Enterprise users to go to the effort of decompiling Spectrum releases, porting them to the Enterprise, modifying them as described above and then /not/ leave a note on the title screen to the effect that it had been unofficially ported?

Would be great to get it confirmed or not.  Maybe Zozosoft can help!  :)

I've also noticed that there is an Enterprise port of Elite - which looks like the Spectrum version but, again, appears to have slightly different colours.  Although there is a scan of the inlay for that on the page you just linked, but it is marked under Kazettaborító terv so, presumably, that one's definitely a fan-port?

Sam.

Offline szipucsu

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #4 on: 2009.August.23. 13:30:19 »
There was not a wide range of official programmes for the Enterprise and they usually cost a fortune. Therefore many owners began to convert Spectrum games into the Enterprise and exchanged these games among one another. A high percentage of Enterprise games (about 90%) is an unofficial Spectrum conversion. (You can visit ep128.hu, click on Játékok (which means Games) on the left and you can see.)
Most of these conversions don't exploit the capabilities of the Enterprise (sound, graphics) just those of Spectrum 48K. But some Spectrum 128K conversions were also made (e.g. Amaurote, UCM).

As I know Enterprise has unique programmable graphics, that's why it's sometimes difficult to port the same colors as in the Spectrum version. I am not familiar with the technical characteristics of Chuckie Eggs' Enterprise version, maybe somebody else in the forum is.
« Last Edit: 2009.August.23. 13:38:35 by szipucsu »
100 SOUND SOURCE 2,STYLE 128,PITCH 25.2,SYNC 1
110 SOUND PITCH 25,SYNC 1
120 ! Videos

Offline szipucsu

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #5 on: 2009.August.23. 13:45:45 »
Was it common for Enterprise users to go to the effort of decompiling Spectrum releases, porting them to the Enterprise, modifying them as described above and then /not/ leave a note on the title screen to the effect that it had been unofficially ported?
In the title screen there is usually no information about whether the game is official or not. Some converters (I mean people who convert) leave their name in the game, some not.
But a "veteran" Enterprise user knows that e.g. Novotrade, A-studio games are official, while Attus, Moonlight, Endi (and so on, excuse me if I left somebody :D ) aren't.
Novotrade (which is practically the same as A-studio) was a company having compact with the "Centrum Áruházak" (the shop where the Enterprise computers and Enterprise programmes were sold for high prices). And also Entersoft games are official.
100 SOUND SOURCE 2,STYLE 128,PITCH 25.2,SYNC 1
110 SOUND PITCH 25,SYNC 1
120 ! Videos

Offline szipucsu

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #6 on: 2009.August.23. 15:10:08 »
I've also noticed that there is an Enterprise port of Elite - which looks like the Spectrum version but, again, appears to have slightly different colours.  Although there is a scan of the inlay for that on the page you just linked, but it is marked under Kazettaborító terv so, presumably, that one's definitely a fan-port?
Yes, Elite is also a fan-port, this game couldn't be bought in shops.
100 SOUND SOURCE 2,STYLE 128,PITCH 25.2,SYNC 1
110 SOUND PITCH 25,SYNC 1
120 ! Videos

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #7 on: 2009.August.24. 12:28:31 »
Hello Sam!

The Chuckie is a unofficial conversion.

Was it common for Enterprise users to go to the effort of decompiling Spectrum releases, porting them to the Enterprise, modifying them as described above and then /not/ leave a note on the title screen to the effect that it had been unofficially ported?
Yes is a very common!
Usually not need full decompile, only needed to search the hw specific routines: keyboard/joystick, sound, and color attributes.
The first two is very simple, only needed to find all IN (FEh), OUT (FEh), and IN (1Fh) instructions.
The most common method for replace these, the loader program have a simulation routines, place the routine addresses to the RST CALLs, and then in the binary program code needed to replace for example the OUT (FEh),A to RST 10h, NOP
You can see this method in the Chuckie code if compare the original version with the Enterprise version.

Normally you can convert the Spectrum controlls and sound to the Enterprise less than 5 minutes :-)

The biggest problem the colors. The Enterprise video chip can be programmed for very similar video mode than the Spectrum, but the attributum values are different. This means if you running a Spectrum code without any modifications you got a wrong colors.
You can see the results in the Chuckie :-) (And also exist a Bomber Man with a green walls :-) )

The hardest work in the conversion to find and modify the attribute routines and/or datas in the game.

Sometimes make a additional problem if the game calling routines from the Spectrum ROM. Then needed to write a simulation routines in your loader program which can simulate these calls.
In the Chuckie it is use the BEEP routine for the music. But who converted the game to Enterprise not simulated this ROM routine, this is the reason why missing the musics.
For the other sounds the game use a direct port out these are simulted and you can hear the sound.

If you (or anyone else :) ) wanted I can make a better Enterprise conversion of the Chuckie! With a correct colors and music :)



Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #8 on: 2009.August.24. 12:44:00 »
And about the conversions:
Exist somes official instructions how can convert Spectrum programs to Enterprise.
These sent to the game studios.
If you a game studio and have the source code of the game, then very easy to modify the program for make EP version.
In some official conversions added some extra things to the game: stereo sound, better music.

Offline samwise

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #9 on: 2009.August.24. 21:02:35 »
Hi, Zozosoft!

Wow.  Thanks for the comprehensive reply!  The main reason I thought it might be an official port, was because I have been in contact with someone who worked for the company behind the game (A&F) several years after this game was released.  He wasn't with them at around the time this might have been officially released (1985ish), but he joined them and worked on a PC version around 1988/9.  Anyway, he was convinced that there /was/ an official Enterprise port and possibly also an Oric / Atmos port.

It was for this reason that I thought it might be an original.  I did actually discover the official porting instructions that you linked whilst browsing yesterday, but your detailed description is actually the most convincing.  I thought the blue colouring might have been evidence of someone putting an Enterprise spin on an official port - but it sounds like that is merely a symptom of the conversion between the Spectrum / Enterprise hardware.  The lack of an update on the title screen also makes me think it's unlikely to be an official port.  Finally, your right - the lack of music is pretty damning.

I think, then, I will be classifying it as a unofficial port on my site, The Chuckie Egg Professional's Resource Kit:)

The only Enterprise 128 emulators I could find were Windows-only, which makes it a bit hard for me to make use of them as I run Linux.  Unfortunately, MESS support doesn't seem great either - the bottom of the screen was cut off and placed at the top when I tried.  For those reasons, I wouldn't want to give you false hope that I would play it to a significantly degree - but if you did improve the Chuckie Egg port at any point, I'd love to hear about it.  I host a big MESS-compatible archive of disk and cassette images of the various ports of Chuckie Egg, and will be adding the Enterprise version I already have to it.  Would be delighted to add any improvements you make!

As an aside, I knew very little about the Enterprise computers until I started reading around, because of this.  I've never been a great fan of the Spectrum, mainly because of the dodgy colour clashes it suffered from, and the often monochrome graphics.  The more I read about the Enterprise, the more it sounds like a vast improvment over the Spectrum.  I'm certainly going to look into it a bit more - can anyone recommend some of the best Enterprise home-grown games?  I mean games that were written especially for the Enterprise and make best use of it's capabilities ...

Thanks,

Sam.


Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #10 on: 2009.August.24. 21:06:49 »
The only Enterprise 128 emulators I could find were Windows-only, which makes it a bit hard for me to make use of them as I run Linux. 
Use the ep128emu! This is the best Enterprise emulator, and also run on Linux!

Offline samwise

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #11 on: 2009.August.24. 22:12:41 »
Hmm ... how did I miss that?!

Sam.

Offline geco

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #12 on: 2009.August.25. 14:20:49 »
Can anyone recommend some of the best Enterprise home-grown games?  I mean games that were written especially for the Enterprise and make best use of it's capabilities ...
Hello Sam.

The following two games were developed especially for Enterprise, but they are not developed by software houses, Hungarian enterprise fans wrote these great games:
Pacman City 2
Swap

This is a demo which shows from capabilities of Enterprise:
Small Demo

You can check the following link for games, which are not spectrum port, they shows littlebit about enterprise capabilities, choose tose games where is a + sign at column "leírás":
http://www.ep128.hu/Ep_Games/Games_AB.htm

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #13 on: 2009.August.25. 14:31:33 »
I've never been a great fan of the Spectrum, mainly because of the dodgy colour clashes it suffered from, and the often monochrome graphics.  The more I read about the Enterprise, the more it sounds like a vast improvment over the Spectrum.
If you bore the Spectrum graphics and want to see the full power of the Enterprise video chip then check the Enterprise Slideshow 2, 3!

Offline samwise

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Re: Chuckie Egg - Enterprise
« Reply #14 on: 2009.August.29. 00:04:29 »
Wow.  Neat.  Had some trouble working out the keys for Pacman City 2, but it looks very nice.  The Enterprise Slideshows were impressive - I'm part of a software development community called Retro Software, and one of our members has created a program to convert PC images to BBC Micro loading screens.  I guess these were done by hand, tho.  Very cool!

Sam.