The Sinclair QL Forum

ql_freak wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 1:09 am I vote for games like Vroom! For me this was the most exciding game ever for the QL. I loved it, exellent graphics and (what is possible with the poor QL hardware) good sound. One of the few games I have bought.

I like Vroom but it's actually a bit disappointing if you compare it to weaker machines that have a racing game. I recently saw Formula V20 and that feels much faster than Vroom and it runs on a Vic 20. We should be able to have a much better version of a racing game on the QL.

bwinkel67 wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 4:26 am We should be able to have a much better version of a racing game on the QL.

No, we shouldn't. Vroom does an awesome job in scrolling the large (32k) QL screen while a VIC 20 only has to move 4k around to do the same thing. The QL is hampered here because of it both having a generous amount of screen memory and no (or not much, considering a second screen is possible) custom chip support to handle that. The QL must, compared to the VIC20, juggle 8 times more memory around to scroll, but is not 8 times faster.

A week in, there seems to be a clear leader in this poll. I must admit to voting for text adventures, primarily cos I'm working on one right now

But if I hadn't, I'd have gone for platform games. There are quite a few adventures freely available at the mo, but not sure if there are any proper platformers on Dilwyn's site. I found that I had QL Bounder in my collection and wondered why I couldn't remember anything about it. So I refelted the mdvs and gave it a try. Well, I managed to get it to boot, but only after removing my Gold Card (which requirement explains why I didn't play it much, clearly). Plus it's copy protected, so it will only work until the master mdv fails.

It is a platformer similar to Manic Miner / Jet Set Willy on the Spectrum. Just like them, I quickly got stuck due to my gaming reactions being woefully inadequate. I wonder if anyone is willing/able to step up and produce something better, whether for BBQL or more advanced hardware (QL core on Spectrum Next?). I would definitely be interested in playing (and paying) for that, so long as the difficulty level wasn't too high, maybe with more of a puzzle / exploring element.

Cheers,
Alan

Even though Manic Miner and Jetset Willy qualify as platform games, I was thinking more of side-scrollers like Sonic or Mario. Would those fit more under graphical then? What about a 360 degree scroller like PETSCII Robots?

tofro wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 10:59 am No, we shouldn't. Vroom does an awesome job in scrolling the large (32k) QL screen while a VIC 20 only has to move 4k around to do the same thing. The QL is hampered here because of it both having a generous amount of screen memory and no (or not much, considering a second screen is possible) custom chip support to handle that. The QL must, compared to the VIC20, juggle 8 times more memory around to scroll, but is not 8 times faster.

What if you only scroll part of the screen (top part) instead of the entire area? I picked VIC 20 since I thought that was low enough on the totem poll. Surprised to hear the QL can't do something comparable to a VIC 20 (well except for sound).

bwinkel67 wrote: Fri Jun 20, 2025 12:06 am

tofro wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 10:59 am No, we shouldn't. Vroom does an awesome job in scrolling the large (32k) QL screen while a VIC 20 only has to move 4k around to do the same thing. The QL is hampered here because of it both having a generous amount of screen memory and no (or not much, considering a second screen is possible) custom chip support to handle that. The QL must, compared to the VIC20, juggle 8 times more memory around to scroll, but is not 8 times faster.

What if you only scroll part of the screen (top part) instead of the entire area? I picked VIC 20 since I thought that was low enough on the totem poll. Surprised to hear the QL can't do something comparable to a VIC 20 (well except for sound).

I think they did it this way, but that's still very complicated. What they couldn't: Simply copy another screen for every changed picture in the "movie" (game). With a 4 Kbytes screen, this may work (as in GIF pictures on nowadays horrible fast Super Computers [compared to a QL]).

Hi
I am going to be very evil person...
3D Game!!!!

Note: just kidding. I love every kind of games. Thank you for your effort.

Popopo wrote:Hi
I am going to be very evil person...
3D Game!!!!

Note: just kidding. I love every kind of games. Thank you for your effort.

There is source code for the driller engine

XorA wrote: Sat Jun 21, 2025 2:28 pm There is source code for the driller engine

Noway! Really? that sounds pretty good.
I know there is a thread about a nice 3D software, with some demos, but not sure if it would allow a 3D game for a BBQL.
Would be amazing.

https://github.com/hitchhikr/driller

Just need to replace the GFX for QL