Date   : Sat, 07 May 2005 21:06:35 +0100
From   : "Peter Edwards" <samwise@...>
Subject: Re: Chuckie Egg - better patch (and some mysteries solved!)

Hi, Thomas,

> Yes, I meant the Electron version, having been unaware that it was a r
> ewrite. I'd just assumed that the reason for the 1 colour 
> sprites was eas
> y BBC/Electron compatibility but I guess that isn't the case.

That's the kind of useless information I've filled my site with ... :)

> I may be able to do this at some point, but not in the next two months
>  for the probably common reason that my Electron stuff is in 
> the loft at 
> my parental home and I'm busy completing my bar qualification...
> 
> A qui
> ck Google image search provides this though: 
> http://www.clive.nl/images/2
> 3708.jpg

Yes, I actually have a slightly better scan of that on my site already:

http://www.bagshot-row.org/chuckie-egg/spectrum48k.html

In the interests of posterity, though, I've been thinking a complete scan of
the packaging for each version/re-release would be good for the completist.
Unfortunately, that means finding them on ebay and buying them just for the
sakes of a scan.  The Electron P&C one, in particular, would be quite hard
to find again - I think it's probably a rarity.  Anyway, there's certainly
no rush, but if you do ever get the chance to grab a decent-sized scan of
the inlay and tape that would be great ... (my site is also full of quite a
few small resolutions scans which I'd like to replace at some point).

> There isn't any need to calculate a checksum, the tape FS already 
> has one in the header of every data block (i.e. every 256 
> bytes of file d
> ata). It's of the standard CRC16 variety.
> 
> This makes me think I should
>  hurry up with the full system debugger that ElectrEm Future 
> has been wor
> king towards.

If I'm following you, I think we have crossed wires.  I don't mean a
checksum to ensure the file hasn't been corruped during loading - I meant
some kind of checksum which can be generated on a file to see if it's
different to another - I currently use Richard's PRINT ~!&29AB test to
identify whether the BBC version of CE is from TOSEC or STH.  I imagine if
there was a third variant out there, it might not be noticed if the value
printed by that test results in the same output as either of the others.  I
thought it might be handy if there was some way, like DOS's COMP command, to
compare the files and identify if they're different.  That way, for example,
the Electron A&F, AnF and P&C releases could all be compared to see if they
had been changed between releases ... I'm guessing that the two BBC versions
we have are from the two different releases I know of - the original A&F
logo one and the later AnF logo one.
 
> I'm talking about the ZX Spectrum version, which I absol
> utely hate. I don't know exactly where the programmers lived, 
> but that ce
> rtainly isn't how physics works in my world. Or Newton's 
> (with a hint of 
> Euiler) for that matter. Makes the whole thing an unplayable 
> mess in my o
> pinion, although I know that it's highly regarded by Spectrum 
> types so I 
> suppose it must be a taste thing.
> 
> -Thomas

Crossed wires again - I meant Rich's new extra colour version which makes
the BBC release look like the Spectrum version ... :)

Technically, I'm supposed to remain unbiased (at least on the site) between
the various versions but I can't deny it - it was Doug's beeb version which
I look back on with nostalgia.  The spectrum version's physics definitely
don't have the same responsive feel, esp. when Harry jumps ... still, each
to their own.  As The Mad Hatter used to say, "you pays yer money and you
takes yer choice."!

Peter.