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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
The Frogger has this splash screen

- 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.