new (?) thought about the Sprinter

Greetings, All! Glad to see you again!

Subject. Just an idea: maybe Sprinter will not only not be useful, but also
harmful? After all, the whole point of working on the ZX is to implement something new and interesting on it with the same resources. Let's say Sprinter appears. With its capabilities, everything that previously existed on ZX - demos, games, intros, magazines - will cease to be attractive. People, having several sprinter toys
will stop looking at the Spectrum ones. _nobody_ will remake old games for a new car
(Sprinter) in order to bring them closer to the Sprinter ones. We will get
a computer with a maximum of ten games and its users who will no longer be able
to play “antediluvian” Spectrum games and will be forced to buy a PC/Amiga
to play at least something.
After the appearance of Sprinter with its cool graphic capabilities, old
demos and intros will not eliminate demos/intro-makers. But they won’t want to redo them again (so much effort was spent in vain, so what, now redo what was done in the past 5 years)? And if there is nothing to do, then they will have
to switch to other platforms.
Users, having seen from friends/read in magazines about the new miracle computer, will
gradually move to Sprinter or abandon ZX. And since Sprinter will not be
supported by software (see above), they will leave it too.
Gamemakers who decide to support Sprinter are doomed to failure: by the time they release their work (meaning normal ones, like
ChV), all the users will have already fled. But it will be
much more difficult to release a normal program on the Sprinter and it will take more time (since the volume
of graphics, music and effects, as well as coding must increase for the game to be
better than the Spectrum one), especially since all the necessary programs for it will not appear immediately.
Regarding the maximum allowable configuration, my opinion is this:
256x192 (+ you can expand the screen due to the border space), AY, GS, 256K (more
just hasn’t been useful to anyone yet, and that’s enough), HDD.

PS: It would be better if at least someone wrote a normal DOS instead of TRDOS: with a built-in
boot, normal service, full compatibility with TRDOS and good design.
Imho, quite realistic.

Hasta la vista, All! See you in Eden! Novikov Sergei AKA Spirit/STEP
[Team ZX ASM] [Team AMD - Amiga Must Die] [Team Aries Rulez Forever] [Team EM²D]

St. Petersburg codepage 866
Wednesday July 30 1997
10:30

Hello comrade Sergei!

SN> Regarding the maximum permissible configuration, my opinion is this:
SN> 256x192 (+ you can expand the screen due to the curb space), AY, GS,
I’ll add 256x192 (16 or more colors)
SN> 256K (no one else has ever needed it, and that’s enough),
SN> HDD.

Sincerely yours Igor

>> Together We will put an end to all bourgeois evil spirits!!!!!

The other day, July 28, 1997, at 16:59, Sergei Novikov wrote to All:

Glad to welcome you, Sergei!

SN> Subject. Just an idea: maybe Sprinter will not only not be useful, but also
harm
SN> n? After all, the whole interest of working on the ZX is to implement something
new

on it;-) Fear us!!!

SN>, interesting with the same resources. Let's say Sprinter appears. With its
opportunities
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why?
SN> everything that previously existed on ZX - demos, games, intros, magazines -
SN> will cease to be attractive. People, having several Sprinter
toys on Sprinter, they will look even more attractive, you can do
an experiment
on ENLIGHT, watch demos on Spectrum, and then run them on Sprinter.
Speaking of Pentagons, you can easily
configure
the Sprinter software so that it will not be any different from the Pentagon or any other
computer.
And this is not only about memory ports, but also INT, screen scan, etc.

SN> will stop looking at the Spectrum ones. _nobody_ will remake old games for the new
machine
SN> (Sprinter) in order to bring them closer to Sprinter ones.
Let's get a computer

No need to speak for everyone, at least I said “few people will.” Especiallyif
consider
that redoing the graphics is not so difficult for the Sprinter. It allows you to use all screen modes simultaneously on one
screen. Those. You can leave the main field where
the action
develops in Spectrum mode, and do the rest of the space in
advanced
graphics. Just imagine how many games will be transformed.
In St. Petersburg, there are people who remake games for General Sound and I
think
they will be able to remake the graphics without any problems.

SN> Users, having seen with friends/read in magazines about the new miracle computer, will
gradually
SN> about move to Sprinter or abandon ZX. And since the Sprinter will not be
supported

What does it mean to throw? Many abandoned ZX by switching to Scorpions, Profi, etc.

SN> Gamemakers who decided to support Sprinter are doomed to failure: by the
time
SN> when they release their works into the world (meaning normal ones, like
ChV), all
SN> users will have already fled. And a normal program on the Sprinter will be released
meaning
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
yeah and the Sprinters will be thrown into the trash! In my opinion, every new product will come off
with your hands. If only to invite home a PC guy who had been making fun of Specky for a long time and praising his Pentium.
2GameMakers: Remember that there are no hackers on Sprinter yet, they still have to
figure out whatwhy, and the Peters company will leave many “pitfalls” especially for them. :)

SN> is definitely more difficult and it will take more time (since the volume of graphics,
music and effects
SN>, as well as coding must increase for the game to be better
Spectrum),

Remember how Slava suffered due to the lack of resources to implement all the ideas.
It is much easier to use 256 color graphics at once, rather than learn them convert
to b/w format, and many people take algorithms from PCs and Amigas, and they are designed for 256
colors.