DSpec PUBLIC Beta Released! v0.2a (Spectrum Emulator for Nintendo DS)

[wraggster]

The Hive (http://dspec.eighttwelve.co.uk/index.php) has released a new Public Beta Version of his Spectrum emulator for the Nintendo DS, heres the interesting part he has posted a puzzle (http://www.emuboards.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=23917&st=380&p=285596&#entry285596) for you to solve to get the password to the Zipfile.

Heres his puzzle:


The screenshots below represent a smattering of Speccy nostalgia from my youth. Infact, they are probably all jointly responsible for the ultimate demise of my Speccys membrane keyboard, and certainly a few occasions of bloodshot eyes.

But, do any of you lot remember them? And more importantly, can you identify them from the screenies?

The first character from each game will form a 15 character password that you will NEED to UNRAR DSpec 0.2a (when it's released later this evening).

But please, once you know the password don't post it here Should be easy for most, but we'll see.

BTW - the password is not a word or sentence - it's meaningless, so you won't be able to fill in the blanks if you only know some of the games. Mwah ha ha ha ha haaa

-HiVE

Awesome fun for Spectrum fans and a new emulator to try for those who can solve it :)

Screenshot and Download and Give Feedback Via Comments

[basilb]

Sorry I don't have time to solve this puzzle, im too busy playing speccyDS

[Metal_Spirit]

Same here... I also have another ideia. Don´t tell us where to download it, and let us guess the url.

Oh joy...

[funem]

They seem easy enough to me, quite a few of them are classics.......

[Metal_Spirit]

Thats exactly the problem... QUITE A FEW are classics. But the others are not and I don´t remember their names. There are two of them that i don´t even remember having seen them on the CRASH magazines that I still own.

[valo85]

^ I'm the same as you metal_spirit i remember quite a few of them but there are some where i don't have the faintest idea :(

anyway look forward to trying this at some point lol

[Metal_Spirit]

Well.. this is not fair... If the release is not meant for all, then just keep it private...

As such, i will release the names of the games I do know, hope others help out here.
Note that the not posting the password here is just a request, not a demand, so I don´t think i´m breaking any rules here. Besides The password is nowhere to be seen, just the name of some of the games.

1- Wheelie
2- Nodes of Yesod
7- Trashman
8- Spy Hunter
9- Exolon
10- Bloodaxe
12 - Auf Wiedersehen Monty??? ou Monty Mole?
14- Yie Ar Kung Fu

The others I cannot remember their names or worse, I never heard of them. Someone can help with the others?

[MikeDX]

I hardly know any..

4: caves of doom
11. Atic atac (i think)

[The Hombrew Hunter]

Well.. this is not fair... If the release is not meant for all, then just keep it private...

Exactly! What about the younguns who don't know WTF those games are? AKA Freakin' me!

[Metal_Spirit]

Thanks MikeDX for your contribution, although a search on google seems to point that both your tips are off.. Thanks nevertheless.

[MikeDX]

ok,

2: Nodes of Yesod
6: Urban Upstart
11: Alien 8
12: Auf Wiedersehen Monty
13: silicon dreams

not many left surely

[Metal_Spirit]

3,4,5 and 15 missing. Anyone can help with those?

[JaseDaMase]

3. Heartland

[blackrave]

Putting a password to a homebrew application is just plain stupid, in my opinion. Homebrew is about contribition and sharing, so letting only a few people try this, since most people can't figure out all games is just not right.

Now, I won't ever need this as I don't even have a DS, but still I hope someone will find out the password and post it here. I also hope the password will be removed in future releases.

Do you agree, or am I a moron?

[MikeDX]

Do you agree, or am I a moron?

Personally I think this is cool

so to answer your question.. I guess you are a moron :D

[blackrave]

Ok, I agree it's inventive, and not plain stupid, but still people won't be able to try it before they find out the password, and as mentioned, many people are young and don't know much about old games.

[MikeDX]

I agree, but also, many young people have never even heard of spectrum and will have no interest in it whatsoever.

I'm a huge spectrum fan and I don't know the password as of yet..

[HaloJ]

Ditto Mike. 4,5,6 and 13 are killing me.

15 is Splat

EDIT: 6 confirmed as Urban Upstart

[uneekracer]

looks all good

[breizhatavpilamiks]

4-Fahrenheit 3000

5-Groucho

That's all folks.

[MikeDX]

Cool now to play :D

[breizhatavpilamiks]

Seems like it won't work with SCSD rom 1.70 though. I guess I am going to downgrade to 1.63.

[Metal_Spirit]

Thank you all for your cooperation!

[daninski]

i thought number one was kickstart.

[MikeDX]

i thought number one was kickstart.

Then you are a silly bugger!

[HaloJ]

I'm amazed. Been playing Star Quake for ages now. Works great on my DS Lite with SC CF. One or two inaccuraces with regards to the touch screen but I understand that is an NDS-Lib issue.

Can anyone confirm if it runs on SC Lite as this has just given me a very good reason to upgrade to the more streamline version of the SuperCard.

[kennyk]

Wow, now I can try it out! Thanks to all who helped with the password. I haven't played very many spectrum games before, mostly just skool daze.

[HaloJ]

Well then I totally recommend StarQuake, Head over Heels, Quazatron, Where Time Stood Still, The Great Escape and Heartland.

Its a shame but I think the save game function is knackered at the moment and as I generally only use my DS on journeys means I can't feasably get into anything long winded like Elite.

[The Hombrew Hunter]

Are spectrum roms freeware or abandonware now?

After taking this long to crack the code, it's kind of annoying not knowing if it's legal or not :\

[HaloJ]

World of spectrum answers that question quite nicely. See the link below but to surmise permission has been gained from as many copyright owners as they have managed to contact. All of the Ultimate games are illegal to distribute due to Rare saying no. Shame really as Underworld and Knightlore are amazing games. I suspect that at some point Rare are planning on selling a remake of their games.

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/permits/

[MikeDX]

I still havent bloody tried it!

God dammit :(

[MikeDX]

ok now i've tried it ;)

and i cant get it to load anything :| It doesnt seem to see .sna or .tzx or .tap.. :(

[HaloJ]

Interesting. It currently only supports SNA and Z80. Whats your hardware and have you modified the ini file to match your directory structure?

[siccoyote]

1. Wheelie
2. Nodes of Yesod
3. Heartland
4. Fahrenheit 3000
5. Groucho
6. Urban Upstart
7. Trashman
8. Spy Hunter
9. Exelon
10. Brian Bloodaxe
11. Alien 8
12. Auf Wiedersehen Monty
13. Snowball
14. Yie Ar Kung Fu
15. Splat!

[thehive]

The password was available to anyone that wanted it my PMing me on the support forums. If you checked out the official site you would have known that.

The quiz was just a bit of fun for Spectrum fans, and the password not some covert way of keeping people from using the emu.
Sorry for pissing people off... :(

-HiVE

0.2b is now out, and the password to that can be obtained by doing the very easy quiz, or PMing me on the official support forums. It will also be on the site in the next day or so when the quiz if over.
0.2b fixes problems with M3 and Supercard f/w 1.70.

http://www.dspec.co.uk
http://www.emuboard.com/invision

[siccoyote]

It doesn't say that on the homepage or on the forum, the nearest I read on the forum was

"As for the password...do the quiz and work it out yourself you lazy sod!"

Until the release of 0.2b

Just getting the hang of using the thing, only played Treasure Island Dizzy so far.