Gametraders Magazine - January 2016

[Dizrythmia]

The next issue of Gametraders Magazine is out & my Gamer Diaries can be found on pages 50 - 55 with lots of Amstrad screenshots!

January Magazine by Gametraders

This month I have a look at being a bedroom coder, making Amstrad friends, sharing games & other systems I encountered along the way.

There is so much more I could go into, so I'm making additional notes along the way, comparing details with friends I grew up with.

It certainly is fun reminiscing, but that's why we stick with out CPCs, right?

[mr_lou]

Great read as usual. 

It's clear that you have a lot more stories to tell than you're telling. You seem to go through a lot very fast.

I notice you write about your own BASIC creations. I'd love to read more about those in more details.
In my own "8bit Stories" I'm telling the stories of various BASIC projects I did myself, often in collaboration with my cousin. My plan is to include both screenshots and video-recordings on our creations from back then in "8bit Stories". That'll definitely be something no one has ever seen before. 
I won't add video with me doing voice-over. Just videos showing what the stories are describing.

I'm especially curious to see your Turtle project. And I know you'll dismiss that instantly at first, because "It was nothing" or "It was just very simple boring". I don't care.
To me it's the stories that are cosy. And seeing a video of the creation the story describes is just a very nice touch.

You could create an awesome "8bit Stories #2" if you wanted to. Let's talk about that once I manage to complete my own issue. Still has a long way to go creating videos and having my girlfriend draw illustrations.

Anyway, since I've been working on "8bit Stories" for years now, I now have a clear overview of what I did what year too. It's fun to compare what we did at the same time. Some of the things are very similar, and some are rather different. 

My advice and hope for you is that you'll elaborate on the stories, expand them, adding more detail etc. Each game can have its own story. Each BASIC project too.
(Well not for the magazine of course, there's no room there, but for the future for a bigger project like "8bit Stories #2" or your own title if you want).

[Dizrythmia]

I do go through things very fast, but I only (only he says!) get 6 pages, which doesn't cover a lot. I didn't cover the problems James & I had playing Double Dragon with the Amstrad JY-2 joysticks & how one of us had to use the keyboard to avoid clashing, that sort of thing.

The Turtles project... I wish I had the disc & code for that, but it's all gone. The disc is gone, the graph sheets are gone, everything has disappeared from that one I'm afraid. I have been thinking about recreating some of my projects but it's been too long & I have no idea how to code anymore, even in BASIC & I have no time to learn. My first project was a modification of Bustout from the Amstrad manual. I would use techniques I had learned from the manual in that program & change the colours, the sounds, the blocks used. That was fun.

The next thing I did was to explore audio & eventually create a musical keyboard program, again it was very simple. I would create my own custom menus as well, but I never went much more advanced than that. That's why the Ninja Turtles project would have always been a disappointment. I wasn't ready to make something like that & I would never have been happy with the finished product.

There was also a side story I removed due to space. My grandfather used to love my BASIC coding projects & I would drag the computer out of my bedroom (it really is a portable computer!), into the dining room & show him things I had been working on. He purchased an Amstrad Hifi purely based on the fact that I had an Amstrad computer. The guy who sold it to him mentioned that it was "compatible with the Amstrad computer", whatever that's supposed to mean. I don't think the sales guy had any idea what he was talking about, but I guess you can use the "tape out" to load games...

I also didn't mention Daley Thompson's Decathlon, which James & I used to play & yes, we DID break joysticks! I can recall 2 that bit the dust. Eventually we used the keyboard until we got sick of the game

I haven't even MENTIONED discovering POKEs yet & cheating in games. I used to enjoy the Hairy Hacker segments in ACU.

So yes, there is a lot more! I'm making notes as I go along though. Thankfully I'm still in touch with James & other people who can remember things I forget & put sequences in order for me if I get them wrong. I do want to do something with it later on but I don't even know when I'll stop writing these yet!

[mr_lou]

The Turtles project... I wish I had the disc & code for that, but it's all gone. The disc is gone, the graph sheets are gone, everything has disappeared from that one I'm afraid.

I don't have a count of how many disc's and tape's I've been running through in the search for lost gems (and finding some too!) for my project.
If you still have some of the old disc's, you could be lucky to find deleted files on some of them that you can restore using various disc tools.

I have been thinking about recreating some of my projects but it's been too long & I have no idea how to code anymore, even in BASIC & I have no time to learn. My first project was a modification of Bustout from the Amstrad manual. I would use techniques I had learned from the manual in that program & change the colours, the sounds, the blocks used. That was fun.

I was extremely lucky. I made a lot of BASIC stuff with my cousin back in those days. Then one day he was on his way to throw out all of his CPC stuff, including computer and all the disc's and tapes. On the way he goes: "Hmm... well, I could swing by Mr.Lou and ask if he'd like to have it all instead".
OMG I'M GLAD I WAS HOME AT THE TIME!

But I've lost a few things, and did re-create a little bit for "8bit Stories".

The next thing I did was to explore audio & eventually create a musical keyboard program, again it was very simple. I would create my own custom menus as well, but I never went much more advanced than that. That's why the Ninja Turtles project would have always been a disappointment. I wasn't ready to make something like that & I would never have been happy with the finished product.

I had my share of projects in that category as well. That doesn't mean it's not a great story to tell though.
(I also looked into music, and create a musical keyboard.  )

So yes, there is a lot more! I'm making notes as I go along though. Thankfully I'm still in touch with James & other people who can remember things I forget & put sequences in order for me if I get them wrong. I do want to do something with it later on but I don't even know when I'll stop writing these yet!

You're in luck there.
I have discovered that most people I thought I shared various memories with, most of the time don't remember anything.
I'd like to re-establish contact with my cousin. Him and I were very active on the CPC from 1987 to 1992. But it's not going so well. Family split in 1986 meant that him and I also lost contact with each other when our CPC era slowly died. And suddenly it's been 25 years!!! I can't believe how fast time flies. This life is too short for all the things I want to do.

[Dizrythmia]

I don't have a count of how many disc's and tape's I've been running through in the search for lost gems (and finding some too!) for my project.
If you still have some of the old disc's, you could be lucky to find deleted files on some of them that you can restore using various disc tools.

Unfortunately I don't have anything from my childhood Amstrad, save for a copy of "The Amstrad User" with Pipemania on the front. Not sure why that didn't end up going with the rest of it. I think it was hidden away in a drawer of mine somewhere... In about 1993 or 94 we sold our Amstrad with EVERYTHING to cousins of mine for $100. They only ever paid us $50 of that & years later when I tried to track the computer down again they were very unhelpful. They just didn't care.

I was extremely lucky. I made a lot of BASIC stuff with my cousin back in those days. Then one day he was on his way to throw out all of his CPC stuff, including computer and all the disc's and tapes. On the way he goes: "Hmm... well, I could swing by Mr.Lou and ask if he'd like to have it all instead".
OMG I'M GLAD I WAS HOME AT THE TIME!

My parents gave me the decision of whether or not I wanted to sell the Amstrad. By that time I had my Gameboy, PC & Super Nintendo. Shortly after I regretted the sale but didn't actually do anything about it for about 5 or 6 years when I tried to track it back down. I didn't have an income until 1995, when I started working. By that stage I had gotten over the regret. Temporarily that is... that regret has resurfaced

In 1996 I discovered Amstrad emulators & went crazy with those. That kept me going until I bought a 6128 on Ebay in 2001. That came from Tasmania & included the monitor. Back then the postage cost more than the computer

But I've lost a few things, and did re-create a little bit for "8bit Stories".

Recreation... Not a bad idea. It might be something I could look into. I remember using an art program that came on an AA covertape to draw up a Super Mario World screen. It looked pretty good!

I had my share of projects in that category as well. That doesn't mean it's not a great story to tell though.
(I also looked into music, and create a musical keyboard.  )

Music was very easy to work with on the Amstrad!

You're in luck there.
I have discovered that most people I thought I shared various memories with, most of the time don't remember anything.
I'd like to re-establish contact with my cousin. Him and I were very active on the CPC from 1987 to 1992. But it's not going so well. Family split in 1986 meant that him and I also lost contact with each other when our CPC era slowly died. And suddenly it's been 25 years!!! I can't believe how fast time flies. This life is too short for all the things I want to do.

Families... can't live with them... I've lost a few people on the way. The twins who owned the Amiga that I mentioned, one of them lives near me but I haven't had any contact for about 15 years. The articles have been great for re establishing contact with people though. James & I hadn't spoken since 2000, though we had each other on Facebook.

[mr_lou]

Unfortunately I don't have anything from my childhood Amstrad, save for a copy of "The Amstrad User" with Pipemania on the front. Not sure why that didn't end up going with the rest of it. I think it was hidden away in a drawer of mine somewhere... In about 1993 or 94 we sold our Amstrad with EVERYTHING to cousins of mine for $100. They only ever paid us $50 of that & years later when I tried to track the computer down again they were very unhelpful. They just didn't care.

That's really sad.
I have to admit that I also ended up selling my CPC - and regretting it fairly fast. Then I bought another CPC - but all my disc's were of course gone.
Luckily I still had my tapes - and then my cousin came along and gave me all of his CPC stuff where I regained more lost gems of mine. Pure luck.

Families... can't live with them... I've lost a few people on the way. The twins who owned the Amiga that I mentioned, one of them lives near me but I haven't had any contact for about 15 years. The articles have been great for re establishing contact with people though. James & I hadn't spoken since 2000, though we had each other on Facebook.

In the old days I used to think that the reason for the sudden lack of contact was because everyone had moved out of town. Suddenly most people I'd known had left town, and that somehow explained why I didn't hear anything from anyone anymore.
But now I've learned it wasn't the distance. It was the busy daily lives we all end up having.
I eventually moved to another town myself, and some years later an old mate of mine coincidentally moved to the same town. Logically we should have a lot more contact, but we don't. Job and family simply prevents it. He has fulltime job that requires 2½ hours travel daily, and his 3 kids constantly has various events he needs to take them to.
So we only see each other a few times a year, like e.g. at Christmas when he rings our doorbell with his two daughters dressed as Santa Claus and elves for my daughter. 
And then I try to bring him along for our retro-gaming gatherings we have about twice a year.
(I can recommend that: Start a retro-gaming gathering among your friends).

[Dizrythmia]

That's really sad.
I have to admit that I also ended up selling my CPC - and regretting it fairly fast. Then I bought another CPC - but all my disc's were of course gone.
Luckily I still had my tapes - and then my cousin came along and gave me all of his CPC stuff where I regained more lost gems of mine. Pure luck.

My tapes went as well. Thankfully I've replaced most of it & more! I own things I always wanted as a kid, 64k expansion pack, multiface, RS232C interface, mouse, etc. Still, there's nothing like having your original stuff back.

(I can recommend that: Start a retro-gaming gathering among your friends).

Oh, we already do that. We're going to a vintage computer night on the 25th & are planning a PC Engine party soon

We also host vintage gaming museums at AVCon & PAX Australia conventions. The Amstrad always has a presence at these events!