I happily received my Repoker de Ases par 4Mhz which is a compilation of games made by 4Mhz in a cartridge, a dandanator in fact.

With its 1 Mb RAM and 1 Mb ROM, I was able to launch the only 1 Mb demo on Amstrad : bad apple, nice also with SymbOS with so much memory. Dont forget the 512 Kb RAM drive and also the wifi like the M4 board by Duke. It is only lacking more AY for more sound channels, but it will be for the next release as stated by 4Mhz.

P.S. : the first paragraph is the truth, it is quite possible that the second one is an April fool.

In quite old times, creating a new adventure game without programming it from A to Z meant using programs like :

• The Quill written by Graeme Yeandle and published by Gilfsoft (a british company created by Tim Gilberts in the early 1980s) on ZX Spectrum in December 1983. With the success of the tool Gilsoft released Illustrator to add graphics to games written by the Quill. First published on ZX Spectrum, it was also released on Amstrad CPC, C64, Atari 8bit, Apple 2, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. It was using a parser with only verb noun understanding
• Professional Adventure Writer (PAW) sometimes called PAWS for Professionnal Adventure Writing System is also written by Graeme Yeandle, Tim Gilberts and Phil Wade, still published by Gilsoft in 1986. It featured graphics directly without an addon, a better parser, could use 128 Ko (at least on ZX Spectrum). It was released on ZX Spectrum and other CP/M computers but did exclude the BBC Micro and C64. An updated CP/M version of PAW was ported for MS-DOS under the name PC Adventure Writer. A bit more history about Quill and PAW on Graeme Yeandle's website and Stefan Vogt's website (including download of the Quill and PAW for several computers) and an interesting interview of Tim Gilberts by Stefan Vogt. PAW was used recently for the game Doomsday Lost Echoes in 2016 (original web site of the game). Check Gilsoft's Text Adventures' Engines Reservoir if you want to write a game with PAW
• Graphic Adventure Creator (GAC) written by Incentive Software in 1985 by Sean Ellis on Amstrad CPC initially and later to ZX Spectrum, BBC, Acorn Electron (without graphics), C64 and also at STAC (ST Adventure Creator) on Atari ST
• DISEÑADOR DE AVENTURAS DE AVENTURAS AD (DAAD) or Adventure Designer for Aventuras AD was written by Tim Gilberts in the late 1980s for the company Aventuras AD. So he wrote a new multi platform adventure writer which could target 8bit and 16 bit computers like C64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and PCW, MSX, Atari ST, Amiga and MS-Dos. It was programmed from 1988 to 1991 but development stopped with the banruptcy of Aventuras AD. DAAD was used recently for the game PANDEMIA XXI

DAAD could have been lost forever, except that the systems disks were found in 2014 by Mr. SAMUDIO and released in the public domain sadly without english support which was missing. Happily Tim Gilberts teamed with Stefan Vogt (author of Hibernated 1 released in 2018, a science fiction adventure) and restored and extended the english language support, and letting use a modern editor. The new version supports the same platform than the original DAAD. A new version of DAAD (v2 R2) (all tools to create a new game) was released in 2018 and a DAAD compiler v2.42 update in 2019. DAAD also supports the german language now.

But today you can use other tools than excluding or complimentary to DAAD :

• WinPAW by Douglas Harter for windows of course
• SUPERGLUS by Carlos Sánchez
• ngPAWS (next generation PAWS)
• inPAWS, a multi platform compiler/extractor for Gilsoft's PAW by Mastodon to write games for ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC (InPAWS source)
• Antur (Welsh for adventure) by Stefan Vogt is a transcompiler, meant to assist 8-bit & 16-bit text/graphic adventure authors. It converts sources for Gilsoft's PAWs to sources ready to compile in DAAD. It was used to port many adventure games, see Spectrum Adventurer (his web site) who wrote several thread on CPCWiki

So want to write game, what about reading tips about using Quill/PAW/DAAD by Stefan Vogt ?

The last version of RASM is v0.112 (5th April 2019). This multi platform assembler (linux, windows, but not only like MorphOS on Amiga) let you program for Amstrad CPC.

The online documentation is available.

update v0.111

• error management code cleanup
• new options with directive INCBIN for wav import
• allow EDSK with invalid track sector size or supernumerary tracks if sectors are DATA compliant
• bugfix confusion between generated global labels and local labels for export
• bugfix EQU with generated names AND curly brackets formulas inside a loop
• bugfix invalid REPEAT values will increment the error counter



update v0.112

• bugfix single NOP wasn't increment nop counter ^_^
• bugfix NOP count with ADD/SUB/XOR/AND/CP (IX+n)/(IY+n)
• bugfix in WAV importv

A new video by Edward un l'Oeil de Set withc Olivier Chaubin who is one of the authors of the game (who wrote the graphics) released on Amstrad CPC in 1987, edited by UBI Soft.

Write on your agenda to be free for the Friday 12th April at 21h00 (french time) to see first hand the twitch channel of Passion Jeux Vidéo TV for checking at the new look of Amstrad.EU.

For the moment I have few informations, but it will be possible to play Amstrad CPC games programmed with CPCTelera on Android with RVMEngine which is an emulator with the CPC game inside, more informations in a spanish video if you understand it better than me.

CPCEC (windows) is a new Amstrad CPC emulator by CNGSOFT released in 2019, which replaces CPCE (dos/windows).

A 9th release is available since the 30th April, the news are :

• 20190419 - eighth public release : added options for image and sound interpolation; tape automatically rewinds itself when it reaches the end (à la FUSE); fixed a bug in TZX files that store 0 instead of 8 in the "used bits" field, another bug in CUSTOM INFO blocks in TZX files, and another one when ZXSEC loads a 48K SNA file in Plus3 mode (users should manually switch to a safe model beforehand anyway). INI files now remember the names of the last used files
• 20190430 - ninth public release : softer B/W Spectrum palette; fixed bug in FDC sector size calculation if GAP datas are stored (Loriciels' discs); added simple memory contention to ZXSEC ("Amaurote", "Black Lamp", "Puzznic", "Sly Spy", "Zub"...)

There is a graphical menu since the third release.

Lemmings started in 1991 on Amiga then the same year on Amstrad CPC. You will learn all about Lemmings's genesis by its creator himself Mike Dailly.

The new version of M4FE v2.0.2, a frontend for the wifi M4 board by Abalore is available. It features compatibility improvements.

CPCEC (windows) is a new Amstrad CPC emulator by CNGSOFT released some days ago, which replaces CPCE (dos/windows).

A seventh release is available today, the news are :

• Fixed a bug in the YM3 file recording, another one in the ZXSEC internal timings, and one more in the debugger commands with optional parameters
• Fixed a Z80 emulation bug in IRQ logic. Configuration (computer model and file paths) is kept across sessions in a INI file
• Tapes can be browsed, either by file position (WAV and CSW) or by block (CDT, TZX and TAP)

There is a graphical menu since the third release.

Duke has released his Imperium solo which is an adaptator to connect USB joysticks (PS4, Xbox One...) or mouses on a standard joystick port for Amstrad CPC. It will be available for other computers later thanks to an update done with the USB port (ZX Spectrum, C64, Amiga et Atari ST).

He will soon start to ship the pre-orders, if you want one it is time to order one but you will have to wait for all pre-orders to be shipped first. I have ordered two adaptators myself.

Check Duke's site about Imperium Solo.

The split cable you see in the video to power the CPC and the adaptator is included with the adaptator for the price of 15 euros, add shipping and paypal cost too.

Last friday there was a stream of the Amstrad.EU new look preview by Tarodius, now on Youtube.

Gryzor is a run and gun released in 1987 on Amstrad CPC, edited by Ocean Software. On OursoN Retrogames's youtube channel, Kukulcan is showing a speedrun of 4 minutes and 55 seconds on Gryzor.

Do you really love your Amstrad CPC 464 ? Then you must buy a protection when you are away from it, made by Gifeda420 as seen on this tweet.

Bruce Lee is a classic platform game written in 1984 by Datasoft and released by U.S. Gold. On OursoN Retrogames's youtube channel, J34n is showing a speedun in 2 minutes and 18 seconds on Bruce Lee.

Lissajous curve is a curve easily found if you use an oscilloscope.

ComSoft6128 has modified the original program found on CPC-Power, you can download the new version right here or just look at the nice youtube video.

Simon Owen, the author of SAMdisk has writtent Augmentinel (remake of The Sentinel) with VR support. He is using the original ZX Spectrum game under emulation but with better graphics and C64 sound.

Ready Cursor One is an Android game with Amstrad CPC graphics written by Simple Apps Without Ads.

Guide the orange cursor over the screen and score by picking up the gray ones. Orange Cursor One is always on the move and you can tap anywhere on the left or right half of the screen to make it turn in another direction. Avoid the sharp edges of the screen and other colored cursors that can show up over time. You can stay in any phase of the game for as long as you can and like. Once another and stationary orange cursor shows up you can pick that one up to get to the next phase of a stage anytime. After making it to the final phase of a stage all of the other around moving cursors turn gray and you can crush them. Although the game starts out at a very slow and sort of meditative speed it does get faster of course with each stage eventually challenging your reaction speed and situational awareness to their limits.

You can see a video of Ready Cursor One in action on Youtube.

An interview of Barry LEITCH who is a composer and graphist for several 8bit games like Hero Quest for example.

And as a plus, a remake of Hero Quest's music by SuTeKH/Epyteor.

Rana Remake by Pagantipaco is a remake of the game Ranarama released in 1988 by Graftgold under Hewson label, it's a gauntlet like.

Pablo Martínez Merino has written a new adventure game for Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum with the DAAD utility : La Casa al otro lado de la tormenta.

A house in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas of the ether, known as Phantom Zones, keeps the terrible secret of a family, and the origin of the known universe...

Results of the oldskool demo compo at Révision 2019 are out. There are two Amstrad CPC demos, one at the 3rd place, see below :

• The Seniors - Rivalry - C64 new SID (In the "Commodore audience", this wins!)
• Hooy-Program - The Brexecutable Music Compo Is Over - ZX Spectrum (2nd place!)
• Overlanders - Gloire a Piou! - CPC-6128 (3rd place!)
• Pulpo Corrosivo - Octopus Pocus - CPC-6128
• Fenarinarsa - Latecomer - Apple ][
• ZOO - We are the Chimpions - C64 new SID
• Moods Plateau - Twenty - KC 85/4
• Chemtrailer Boys - Edison 2019 Invitation - C64 new SID
• The Pets Mode - ROBOTTO - MSX1
• Desire - 1E78 - Atari 7800
• BinaryCounter - Hello - SNES
• resource+singular - The 21st - C64 new SID
• TRSI - TRSI 4 Nordlicht - Atari 2600
• Molive - SNES-NICCC 2000 - SNES
• Titan - MD-NICCC - Sega Megadrive

You can see all the démos/musics on Twitch.

Classic Adventurer is a newspaper about adventure games. There are also four issues with the 5th in preparation. Issue 4 has for example an article about DAAD.

The last version of RASM is v0.113 (26th April 2019). This multi platform assembler (linux, windows, but not only like MorphOS on Amiga) let you program for Amstrad CPC.

The online documentation is available.

• trigger an error when dynamic LZ section cannot crunch
• bugfix when trying to crunch an empty section
• dynamic debug options removed
• snapshot & cartridge summary by default
• embedded rasm export all labels and EQU in the info struct
• new math function CEIL
• rasm may handle generated name with INCBIN directive

After the windows remake and android remake of West Bank and a windows remake of Oh Mummy, Adolfito is working at the moment on a remake of Ghost'n'Goblins.

Adventuron (on Twitter) lets you create an adventure game on PC, tablet and mobile phone (and more later).

Excalibur: Sword of Kings is a game created with Adventuron. Original version was by Ian Smith and Shaun McClure, the Adventuron remake is by Chris Ainsley.

Gareth Pitchford is the author of adventure games, a book about them (see first link) which can be bought printed, as a kindle book or downloaded as a PDF. His site also gives informations about creating adventure games.

Following my article about a bit of history about creation of adventure games, PawMac by Jason McHale is a windows utility to create maps of adventure games using The Quill or PAW (to be used with Trizbort) and to convert a game created with The Quill to use it with PAW.

Post Scriptum is an Amstrad CPC demo done by an unknow person from nowhere, with art created by Hwikaa.

It needs additionnal RAM with a X-Mem or using an emulator like Sugarbox which knows to emulate the X-Mem RAM/ROM expansion.

The firmware v1.0.3 of the Imperium Solo by Duke is available. It's an adaptator to use USB joysticks (PS4, Xbox One...) on a standard joystick port of an Amstrad CPC (and later ZX Spectrum, C64, Amiga and Atari ST).

The split cable which the CPC and the adaptator is included for the price of 15 euros, add shipping and paypal cost too.

There is now an english version of the spanish adventure game written by Pablo Martínez Merino.

The spanish version of La Casa al otro lado de la tormenta has been updated to v1.1.

You have some problems with your two hands and a joystick ? Then why not using your feet instead with a Footpedal SV-129 :

• on le Bon Coin (1 photo of the package)
• on Ebay (english seller with several photos)

Crownland was released on Atari 8 bit by the group LaResistance in 2007. It's a platform game which won 2nd place at ABBUC Software. The game is being converted on Amstrad CPC by Ivan Duchauffour. There are two videos available :

• first preview
• second preview