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Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 4:48 pm
by t0nyt
Does anyone recognise this Games MDV please?

Is it just something someone's made maybe? Seems to be the menu from the usual Games Cartridge


Screenshot 2024-10-05 at 16.37.32.png

The Frogger has this splash screen

Screenshot 2024-10-05 at 16.42.11.png
Screenshot 2024-10-05 at 16.42.11.png (10.95 KiB) Viewed 3127 times

Many thanks

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 7:42 pm
by bwinkel67
Does it have any dates associated with it? If it's 80s/90s I'd say that the Frogger splash screen points to it not being a homebrew. The selection screen is primitive, but so was Psion's one for each of their apps.

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 9:00 am
by t0nyt
bwinkel67 wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2024 7:42 pm Does it have any dates associated with it? If it's 80s/90s I'd say that the Frogger splash screen points to it not being a homebrew. The selection screen is primitive, but so was Psion's one for each of their apps.
I couldn't find anything to date it but the menu code is identical to the official QL Games cartridge menu code

Also, the official games cartridge has 5 entries and this one lets you select the 5th entry even though it doesn't exist

I think the conclusion can only be that someone made the cartridge

BTW Blue Meanies looks a fun little game though I've not worked out how to move left/right yet (using a keyboard). Froggy crashes Q-emuLator when frog gets killed. Mastermind is just a very basic text game. Othello runs but not tried a game yet.

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 11:41 am
by Andrew
I think that Frogger was a type-in from QL World.
The code says : COPYRIGHT A.S.DAY 1985
The program was available from QL World and Quanta and also from TF Services’ Bulletin Board.
The boot file has some REMarks:

Code: Select all

90  REM will only work with unexpanded QL
95  REM If any hacker finds a way to get 'normal'
96  REM vehicles with expansion board (reset to 128K)
97  REM plse let TOny Firshman know (01-724 9053)

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 12:09 pm
by t0nyt
Andrew wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2024 11:41 am I think that Frogger was a type-in from QL World.
The code says : COPYRIGHT A.S.DAY 1985
The program was available from QL World and Quanta and also from TF Services’ Bulletin Board.
The boot file has some REMarks:

Code: Select all

90  REM will only work with unexpanded QL
95  REM If any hacker finds a way to get 'normal'
96  REM vehicles with expansion board (reset to 128K)
97  REM plse let TOny Firshman know (01-724 9053)
Thanks, yes that’s the same one

I think Blue Meanies may of been a type in as well (so probably the others too)

Many thanks

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 1:50 pm
by t0nyt
Have found the magazine listing for Blue Meanies (Your Computer Oct 1985)

So now have the instructions to give it a proper go sometime

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 2:01 pm
by Andrew
t0nyt wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2024 12:09 pm I think Blue Meanies may of been a type in as well (so probably the others too)
Blue Meanies is a type-in from Your Computer issue v.5 #10 - October 1985
Froggy is a type-in from QL User issues December 1985 and January/February 1986

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:48 pm
by bwinkel67
Was the splash screen for Frogger part of the type in? If so, that's some pretty fancy BASIC. Curious how that was done.

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:54 pm
by t0nyt
bwinkel67 wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:48 pm Was the splash screen for Frogger part of the type in? If so, that's some pretty fancy BASIC. Curious how that was done.
It was a machine code type in

Re: Is this a real MDV or something made up?

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 7:14 pm
by Andrew
bwinkel67 wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:48 pm Was the splash screen for Frogger part of the type in? If so, that's some pretty fancy BASIC. Curious how that was done.
No, it was not.