Contents

Contents

SCENE+ is divided into several sub-sections to make searching for specific information easier. There are several main categories, such as Pictures. If you select a main category that contains further sub-sections, they will be displayed as a selection menu. If, for example, you are looking for the game Ultra Reflect, you first select the option H: Games by pressing the "H" key (though you already know that, otherwise you wouldn't be able to read this at all). A menu will scroll out listing all available games. Using the cursor keys as well as the 0 key or ENTER, you can select and load the desired program; pressing the "M" key returns you to the main menu if you change your mind.

Returning to the main menu once a program has been loaded can only be done by resetting the machine and reloading SCENE+, unless it is a program written specifically for SCENE+ that provides a return option. But enough of the general information—back to the contents.

A: Editorial

Here is everything I have to say, along with the usual begging and pleading for people to finally listen to me and submit articles! So, totally uninteresting!

B: Contents

What you are reading right now. A detailed breakdown of everything on this disk, complete with brief instructions where necessary.

C: Letters

Yes, you have the opportunity to write to me and voice your thoughts on things you like or dislike regarding SCENE+ or the Spectrum. Today I have selected two letters, so make sure there are more next time! Do not hesitate to ask questions or answer them—I am always here to help with your problems!

D: Articles

Just like in the old paper SCENE, I want to publish YOUR articles, tips, and tricks here. But as fate would have it, once again these are only my own articles. Seriously, in the long run, this isn't sustainable! With the paper zine, I had to fill 16 pages almost completely on my own; please make sure the same thing doesn't happen here!

The following articles can be read (and printed out on an Epson-compatible printer):

• Kempston Interface Plus: Instructions for a DIY joystick interface with 8 inputs and the option to connect a mouse (more on that next time), featuring a nice schematic diagram for do-it-yourself fanatics.
• Cracking Workshop Part 3: Or how to crack games so that others will envy you!
• USCHI Manual: For those of you who don't have Happy Computer 9/87, and for anyone interested in reading my notes and tips regarding the program. The program itself is, of course, also included on this disk.

E: News

News and information regarding the Spectrum, SAM, and what the non-Spectrum world is up to.

F: Advertisements

Your promotional program (e.g., an animation) could be placed here to show off software you wrote or something you want to sell—in a word: classified ads.

There isn't really anything interesting here this month, unless you live in Vienna: a few shops where a Spectrum enthusiast can get their money's worth.

Ads are free of charge, but only if they relate to SAM and Spectrum. They will appear as long as space is available and for as long as you wish.

G: Pictures

A gallery of artwork submitted by readers. This time, I have included some pictures of my own that I digitized with the Amiga and transferred to the Spectrum using my IFF converter. Enjoy the quality!

The pictures can be saved if you have a blank disk handy. From the main menu, you can save the compressed image (load address is arbitrary, USR address = load address), or you can save the uncompressed image while viewing it.

H: Games

Finally, things get interesting! Games frequently capture programmers' hearts and inspire them to develop new ones.

• Ultra Reflect: My second game. The player's task is to find all hidden mirrors on a grid by firing a laser cannon into the field and then, judging by the beam's deflection, clicking where you suspect a mirror is located and oriented. Controls: Q, A, O, P, M keys, Kempston or Sinclair joystick, Atari ST or Amiga mouse.
• AirSpeeder: By Fiedrich Zohman from Vienna. Instructions in our language are included, and I think it is an outstanding game for pure BASIC—just take a look at the explosion on one of the lower screens! Keys: 1, 2, 4.
• Krack Through: Also by Mr. Zohman, although it was unfinished when I received it from him because he switched over to the C64. I managed to iron out some severe bugs and complete the program as far as possible. It is an Arkanoid clone with 3 levels, and quite pleasant to play for a BASIC game. Keys: 6, 7.
• Höllensturz: Public Domain software that I received from WoMo (thanks!). The objective of this game is to shift platforms to cast all ovals (souls?) into the fires of hell, except for your own, which is not all that easy. 1 to 6 players can compete against each other, or you can play solo against the computer. Built-in German instructions; keys are fully redefinable.

It is a pity I didn't get more programs from F. Zohman, but he surely isn't the only one: besides Fiedrich, Spectec, and myself, there must be other capable game coders in Vienna!?!

I: Demos

Here we have so-called demos, of which thousands exist for the Spectrum by now!

• Demo-Lition: My second demo is also my best! It consists of three parts, but don't let the "reset" scare you! In Part 3, I write about the game Star Trek—don't believe me, it won't be released for the Spectrum 48K; in the meantime, so much material has accumulated that a 128K version is inevitable. But other projects come first, and SCENE+ takes up a huge amount of work with nobody helping me.
• Beaming: A small animation created with the IFF Converter. I simply felt like digitizing the beaming sequence from "Star Trek" to see whether the effect would look decent.
• Magic Balls III: By Spectec. A raytracing animation that I previously admired on the Atari ST; it was calculated directly on the Spectrum, not ported from the Atari—sheer genius!

So, if you want to put your skills on display, why not code a demo too?

J: Utilities

Application programs. The first three were submitted by Dave Fountain from Fountain PD, and I typed in the fourth one myself.

• PokeBook: A collection of game pokes for many titles, plus a dash of advertising.
• Planets: Something for those among you who want to learn a bit more about the planets in our solar system. You couldn't rely on physics teachers in middle school—back then, they actually tried to make us believe the SOLAR SYSTEM originated from the BIG BANG! (Indirectly true, perhaps!).
• SpecList: A list of 226 English-language books about the Spectrum.
• USCHI: The quintessential PD integer compiler. It speeds up your programs considerably—a must-have for every BASIC programmer, having served coders like Talisman and Adriano very well.

We urgently need utility programs too, such as a Video Label Maker or a BASIC compiler for SAM. Put your thinking caps on!

K: Freeware

Lists of freeware available for order from ASC. Pricing:

• Ready-made packs (only on +D/Disciple disks): öS 20.- or DM 3.-
• Custom compiled freeware on disk: öS 35.- or DM 5.-
• On cassette: öS 70.- or DM 10.- (due to the very high time investment required).

However, if you come to our club meetings and bring your own Spectrum for copying, you can access the PD library completely free of charge.

If you submit freeware written by yourself, you can receive five programs for free (send blank media!). However, please provide working programs that do something useful.

Program categories:

• Packs: Disks containing a specific category of programs or titles by a single author.
• Games: Action, puzzle games, adventures, and all other genres, including commercial software released into PD.
• Utilities: Divided into subcategories: music, graphics, printer, and general applications.
• Textfiles: Manuals for software or hardware for Tasword II, German version.
• Demos: Programs showing off what their coders can do, featuring astonishing effects never seen in games. Digital soundtracks and much more are offered in these demos. Anyone who belongs to the scene codes demos to introduce themselves or greet their contacts.

L: Extras

Programs that didn't fit anywhere else.

Under this option, you will find two cracking tools that I wrote:

• LDHDRLS: For loading headerless code blocks. Useful for those who still have a large collection of Codemasters games or use COPY COPY.
• LDIR: Copies memory contents to another location. Just try it out!

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Well, that's it for the contents. Please don't forget that I depend on your support.

I would like to express my gratitude to the following people who made this issue possible:

• WoMo Team
• Dave Fountain
• Fiedrich Zohman
• Spectec
• Cooper
• Garry Rowland
• Martin Würthner
• John Luby
• Jürgen Howaldt