*** MANIC MINER 4 OUT NOW !!!! ***
Andrew Broad
At last! The long-awaited Manic Miner 4 has a September
release as promised!
A highly original (compared to MM2 and MM3) version of the
classic Spectrum game, featuring some of the toughest and
most brilliant Manic Miner caverns ever written!
Download it today, from:-
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/spectrum/download/index.html
MM4 is in SNA format, and should run on any good Spectrum
emulator. If you have successfully downloaded Snapshots
before but have trouble with this one, please let me know.
Andrew Broad.
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com
Andrew Broad wrote :
>A highly original (compared to MM2 and MM3) version of the
>classic Spectrum game, featuring some of the toughest and
>most brilliant Manic Miner caverns ever written!
Did you ever work for Codemasters? :-)
>Download it today, from:-
>
>http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/spectrum/download/index.html
>
>MM4 is in SNA format, and should run on any good Spectrum
>emulator. If you have successfully downloaded Snapshots
>before but have trouble with this one, please let me know.
Has anyone actually managed to download this successfully? I've tried
with three different browsers and they all give me a file which is
49180 bytes long - not a valid .SNA file. ZX32 will load this file
regardless of it being invalid, but half of the graphics are
corrupted.... The levels look quite nice too. So tell me, is it me,
or is the actual download corrupt? :-(
Blood.
*================[ LTo...@iclretail.icl.com ]=================*
| The Infamous BLOOD! |
| The Speccy's not dead - it was just resting! |
| Who needs 500Mb of rendered intro when Jetpac fits in 16k?! |
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Gilberto Gaudencio
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
>Andrew Broad wrote :
>>MM4 is in SNA format, and should run on any good Spectrum
>>emulator. If you have successfully downloaded Snapshots
>>before but have trouble with this one, please let me know.
>
>Has anyone actually managed to download this successfully? I've tried
>with three different browsers and they all give me a file which is
>49180 bytes long - not a valid .SNA file. ZX32 will load this file
>regardless of it being invalid, but half of the graphics are
>corrupted.... The levels look quite nice too. So tell me, is it me,
>or is the actual download corrupt? :-(
I tried to load it into a Windows95 Speccy emulator (that shall remain
anonymous for obvious reasons) and it instantly killed Windows 95. All
Microsoft haters, rejoice: 15 year old technology still kicks Windows'
butt.
Gil
--
||// \\// zilog (at) mail.telepac.pt
// \\
//|| //\\ ICQ UIN 1614980
Andy Schraepel
On Wed, 01 Oct 1997 03:04:45 -0600, LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
>Has anyone actually managed to download this successfully? I've tried
>with three different browsers and they all give me a file which is
>49180 bytes long - not a valid .SNA file. ZX32 will load this file
I got a valid SNA with MSIE4v2.. It was playable, but the titlescreen
was corrupt (Only the area where the orig picture sits). The levels
were playable, I thought, the title was corrupt, because the creator
did it that way.. The whole thing wasnt my taste, so i deleted it. I
dled it today again: 49180 Bytes(!). WSpecEm runs it.. If someone
cannot get it, i have it.
Any erm.. Andy
Emails please to 10066...@compuserve.com
My Spectrum pages (ZX-Rainbow//russian Spectrum) at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/A_Schraepel
*** Free 'ZX-Rainbow': The Emulatorshell! ***
Richard G. Hallas
In message <34324b65...@pop-news.metronet.de>
10066...@compuserve.com (Andy Schraepel) wrote:
> On Wed, 01 Oct 1997 03:04:45 -0600, LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
>
> > Has anyone actually managed to download this successfully? I've
> > tried with three different browsers and they all give me a file
> > which is 49180 bytes long - not a valid .SNA file. ZX32 will load
> > this file
>
> I got a valid SNA with MSIE4v2.. It was playable, but the
> titlescreen was corrupt (Only the area where the orig picture sits).
> The levels were playable, I thought, the title was corrupt, because
> the creator did it that way.. The whole thing wasnt my taste, so i
> deleted it. I dled it today again: 49180 Bytes(!). WSpecEm runs it..
> If someone cannot get it, i have it.
Listen up, people! :-)
A snapshot should be 49179 bytes long. This one is 49180 bytes long:
a grand total of 1 byte too large.
Bearing that in mind, it's just possible, is it not, that there may
be an unwanted extra byte on the end of the file? Perchance?
Having been struck by this brilliant flash of insight from the
heavens, I deleted one byte from the end of the file, resaved it and
loaded it into Z80Em. Perfect. It works fine.
As Andy says, the title screen graphics look corrupt, but I think
that's just a feature of the game. I can't immediately see any way of
completing the fourth (I think) cavern and, from the demo, there look
to be other impossible ones too. However, it's not corrupt; that's
just the way it is!
At least it's better than Manic Miner 2. :-)
There's a tribute to your Parallel Universe game in there too, Lee.
--
Richard
-=-=-=-
Richard G. Hallas -oOo- Editor of RISC User magazine
Proprietor of KeyNote: Music Typesetting & General Desktop Publishing
E-mail: Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk * Telephone/Facsimile: 01484 460280
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com
Richard Hallas wrote :
>Listen up, people! :-)
We're all ears! :-)
>A snapshot should be 49179 bytes long. This one is 49180 bytes long:
>a grand total of 1 byte too large.
>
>Bearing that in mind, it's just possible, is it not, that there may
>be an unwanted extra byte on the end of the file? Perchance?
I guess so.... As I said, most emulators will still load the file but any
file convertors barff on it.
>As Andy says, the title screen graphics look corrupt, but I think
>that's just a feature of the game.
Hmm... I dunno, I suspected something may be wrong. Have you tried
playing the very last level by using level-skipping? I thought that was
corrupted - if it isn't it's distinctly unfair and certainly impossible
to do without cheating!
>I can't immediately see any way of
>completing the fourth (I think) cavern and, from the demo, there look
>to be other impossible ones too. However, it's not corrupt; that's
>just the way it is!
A shame if it is... Some of the screens are excellent, but others are
just ridiculously hard and not enjoyable at all.... :-(
>At least it's better than Manic Miner 2. :-)
Show me something that ISN'T better than Manic Miner 2! ;-)
>There's a tribute to your Parallel Universe game in there too, Lee.
Seen it - nice screen! I'm touched by the sentiment.... what a kind
thought! Maybe I'll do a Manic Miner 5...?
Cheerio!
Andrew Broad
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
>Has anyone actually managed to download this successfully? I've tried
>with three different browsers and they all give me a file which is
>49180 bytes long - not a valid .SNA file. ZX32 will load this file
>regardless of it being invalid, but half of the graphics are
>corrupted.... The levels look quite nice too. So tell me, is it me,
>or is the actual download corrupt? :-(
An SNA file should be 49179 bytes long, but when I transferred MM4.SNA
from a PC to a SUN in order to release it on the Internet, an extra
byte was added on (I suspect that this might be due to UNIX's policy
of terminating all files with a newline). Hence the 49180 bytes. If
this causes problems, I suggest truncating the file to its first 49179
bytes. I have tried the 49180-byte version on MacSpectacle to test
that it can be downloaded and it works okay.
Can you be more specific about "half of the graphics being corrupted"?
If title screen looks pretty weird, with lots of little red blotches,
it's because I designed it that way! Is anything else "corrupted"?
Gilberto Gaudencio wrote:
>I tried to load it into a Windows95 Speccy emulator (that shall remain
>anonymous for obvious reasons) and it instantly killed Windows 95. All
>Microsoft haters, rejoice: 15 year old technology still kicks Windows'
>butt.
Do SNA files usually crash Windows 95? I am not familiar with Windows
95, but again, it might be due to the file being longer than 49179
bytes. If MM4.SNA is overlength, try truncating it to its first 49179
bytes.
Andrew Broad
Graeme Gregory
Andrew Broad wrote:
> An SNA file should be 49179 bytes long, but when I transferred MM4.SNA
> from a PC to a SUN in order to release it on the Internet, an extra
> byte was added on (I suspect that this might be due to UNIX's policy
> of terminating all files with a newline). Hence the 49180 bytes. If
> this causes problems, I suggest truncating the file to its first 49179
> bytes. I have tried the 49180-byte version on MacSpectacle to test
> that it can be downloaded and it works okay.
>
Never in my experience with 5 or 6 diferent unix varients have I ever
had UNIX add extra bytes to the ends of my files. Did you use ftp to
transfer it, if so then did you put it in binary mode, if not all the
international characters in the file will have been converted and
newlines as well. This will change the file size and could corrupt
the graphics :-). This might be a possible explanation for the problems
people have had.
Graeme
Damien Burke
>A snapshot should be 49179 bytes long. This one is 49180 bytes long:
>a grand total of 1 byte too large.
Or several thousand too small :) 128K SNA anyone? Just to be
pedantic, of course.
--
//// Damien Burke (replace d.c.u in address with demon.co.uk if replying)
//// Spectrum pages: http://www.jetman.demon.co.uk/speccy/
//// New to this group? Read this: http://www.jetman.demon.co.uk/speccy/faq/
Richard G. Hallas
In message <343505c...@news.demon.co.uk>
dam...@jetman.d.c.u (Damien Burke) wrote:
> On Wed, 01 Oct 1997 14:40:42 +0100, Richard G. Hallas
> <Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > A snapshot should be 49179 bytes long. This one is 49180 bytes
> > long: a grand total of 1 byte too large.
>
> Or several thousand too small :) 128K SNA anyone? Just to be
> pedantic, of course.
No! I was talking specifically about SNA-format snaps, which are
always 49179 bytes in size (unless they're corrupt...). There ain't
no such beastie as a 128K SNA file (to the best of my knowledge...).
If I'd been talking about any old snapshot, then of course Z80 files
can be of more or less any length, theoretically (especially if you
include SLT files in the description).
Damien Burke
>No! I was talking specifically about SNA-format snaps, which are
>always 49179 bytes in size (unless they're corrupt...). There ain't
>no such beastie as a 128K SNA file (to the best of my knowledge...).
Looks like you'd better go and 'Read the FAQ!!!!!' then, cos
there is such a beastie :)
Andrew Broad
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
> >As Andy says, the title screen graphics look corrupt, but I think
> >that's just a feature of the game.
>
> Hmm... I dunno, I suspected something may be wrong. Have you tried
> playing the very last level by using level-skipping? I thought that was
> corrupted - if it isn't it's distinctly unfair and certainly impossible
> to do without cheating!
The last screen ("Red Room") is not corrupted - I designed it to be a
weird, difficult screen with invisible blocks. Since it is the final
screen before you finish Manic Miner 4, it should be a big challenge!
> >I can't immediately see any way of
> >completing the fourth (I think) cavern and, from the demo, there look
> >to be other impossible ones too. However, it's not corrupt; that's
> >just the way it is!
> A shame if it is... Some of the screens are excellent, but others are
> just ridiculously hard and not enjoyable at all.... :-(
Manic Miner 4 is an advanced game, designed to test the very best
Manic Miner players to the full! Hence the screens are very, very
difficult, particularly "WARNING: Horrible"! I have thoroughly play-
tested it and assure you that all screens are possible to do, though
only with split-second timing (with a little help from the pause
button), pixel-perfect moving and considerable lateral thinking
(the key to success lies in the organization of the non-obvious).
"Ridiculously hard and not enjoyable at all" made me glow with pride!
Keep your eyes peeled for future Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy projects
to be released by me on the Internet:-
- "We Pretty" (sic) (1998?) - the current project
- "The Hobbit" (1999?)
- "Lord Of The Rings" (2000?)
Andrew Broad
John Elliott
Richard G. Hallas (Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: No! I was talking specifically about SNA-format snaps, which are
: always 49179 bytes in size (unless they're corrupt...).
Perhaps you'd care to tell that to +3DOS?
Although the +3DOS directory structure allows for exact file sizes, +3DOS
only lets you estimate sizes to the nearest 128 bytes for files without a
+3DOS header.
So on a +3 running +3DOS, a .SNA is 49280 bytes.
------------- http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/index.html --------------------
John Elliott |BLOODNOK: "But why have you got such a long face?"
|SEAGOON: "Heavy dentures, Sir!" - The Goon Show
:-------------------------------------------------------------------------)
Damien Burke
On Mon, 06 Oct 1997 09:37:00 +0100, Richard G. Hallas
<Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>I'd be much more inclined to look at it, of course, if I could
>download the whole thing as one big text file. Damien. :-)
Which, of course, you can - at NVG. Bit out of date mind, and I
consider myself firmly reminded to re-issue it. However, and I'm
sure you'll be delighted to know this, the 128K SNA has been in
the text-only one since about January. So ner.
Richard G. Hallas
In message <3438f1c...@news.demon.co.uk>
dam...@jetman.d.c.u (Damien Burke) wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Oct 1997 16:53:19 +0100, Richard G. Hallas
> <Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > No! I was talking specifically about SNA-format snaps, which are
> > always 49179 bytes in size (unless they're corrupt...). There
> > ain't no such beastie as a 128K SNA file (to the best of my
> > knowledge...).
>
> Looks like you'd better go and 'Read the FAQ!!!!!' then, cos there
> is such a beastie :)
Damn! Caught red-handed! ;-)
Actully, I have read the FAQ. Well, bits of it, anyway! But it's been
a while...
I'd be much more inclined to look at it, of course, if I could
download the whole thing as one big text file. Damien. :-)
--
Richard G. Hallas
In message <876172...@ox.compsoc.org.uk>
j...@ox.compsoc.org.uk (John Elliott) wrote:
> Richard G. Hallas (Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk) wrote:
>
> : No! I was talking specifically about SNA-format snaps, which are
> : always 49179 bytes in size (unless they're corrupt...).
>
> Perhaps you'd care to tell that to +3DOS?
>
> Although the +3DOS directory structure allows for exact file
> sizes, +3DOS only lets you estimate sizes to the nearest 128 bytes
> for files without a +3DOS header.
Really? Gosh. You learn something new every day, don't you?
Well anyway, according to the file format, a 48K SNA file is
/supposed/ to be 49179 bytes long. Silly systems may plonk extra bytes
on the end, but you can't really then blame emulators for getting a
little confused. (And you can't blame me for not knowing about them,
either!)
> So on a +3 running +3DOS, a .SNA is 49280 bytes.
Well, there's Amstrad for you! :-)
(Sorry, Cliff, only kidding!)
In message <343a33f...@news.demon.co.uk>
dam...@jetman.d.c.u (Damien Burke) wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Oct 1997 09:37:00 +0100, Richard G. Hallas
> <Ric...@hallas.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > I'd be much more inclined to look at it, of course, if I could
> > download the whole thing as one big text file. Damien. :-)
>
> Which, of course, you can - at NVG. Bit out of date mind,
Indeed.
> and I consider myself firmly reminded to re-issue it.
;-)
> However, and I'm sure you'll be delighted to know this, the 128K SNA
> has been in the text-only one since about January.
In fact, that piece of information has left me feeling utterly
invigorated and utterly bold. The Ice Fear is very mild.
> So ner.
:)
Damien Burke
On 9 Oct 1997 12:27:33 GMT, i...@ecs.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier)
wrote:
>While we are on about the FAQ, are you going to put the TZX file format in
>there while Tomaz is away?...
Now it's stopped changing every week, yes :)
Richard G. Hallas
In message <8757797...@dejanews.com>
LTo...@iclretail.icl.com wrote:
> Richard Hallas wrote :
>
> > Listen up, people! :-)
>
> We're all ears! :-)
Thought you looked odd! :-)
> > A snapshot should be 49179 bytes long. This one is 49180 bytes
> > long: a grand total of 1 byte too large.
> >
> > Bearing that in mind, it's just possible, is it not, that there
> > may be an unwanted extra byte on the end of the file? Perchance?
>
> I guess so.... As I said, most emulators will still load the file
> but any file convertors barff on it.
Well, my emulators complained about it being an illegal snapshot...
until I deleted that spurious byte.
> > As Andy says, the title screen graphics look corrupt, but I think
> > that's just a feature of the game.
>
> Hmm... I dunno, I suspected something may be wrong. Have you tried
> playing the very last level by using level-skipping?
Yes. It's ludicrously hard, but appears as though it ought to be
possible.
> I thought that was corrupted - if it isn't it's distinctly unfair
> and certainly impossible to do without cheating!
This game /is/ distinctly unfair! Did you miss the follow-up posting
by its author, explaining that everything is possible, and that the
corrupt-looking final screen /isn't/ corrupt?
> > I can't immediately see any way of completing the fourth (I think)
> > cavern and, from the demo, there look to be other impossible ones
> > too. However, it's not corrupt; that's just the way it is!
>
> A shame if it is...
I was wrong. The cavern /is/ possible, and in fact is one of the
easier ones in the game!
> Some of the screens are excellent, but others are just ridiculously
> hard and not enjoyable at all.... :-(
Agreed. It's a frustrating game, this, because it *is* very cleverly
designed, and a lot of thought has evidently gone into its creation,
but it's just not very enjoyable to play on the whole, because it's
too hard. I'd like to see another new Manic Miner variant that really
keeps the spirit of the original - like I attempted to do myself with
Join the Jet-Set! (keeping the spirit of JSW, that is).
> > At least it's better than Manic Miner 2. :-)
>
> Show me something that ISN'T better than Manic Miner 2! ;-)
The Great Space Race
:-)
> > There's a tribute to your Parallel Universe game in there too,
> > Lee.
>
> Seen it - nice screen! I'm touched by the sentiment.... what a kind
> thought! Maybe I'll do a Manic Miner 5...?
Oh, please. :-)