Mananuk (on Twitter) is working on a new Amstrad CPC game : the Dark Knight, with action and platform parts (short video in the link).

Galastrad is a shoot them up for Amstrad CPC in tape, disk and cartridge format, written by :

• Code ASM & AGD / Quick Intro / SFX : Cyrille "Ayor61" Gouret (GGP)
• GFX : Maitre Joe GGP
• Chiptune Musics : SuTeKH / EpyteoR ( 1 intro/ 1 overscan/ 1 Selection Menu / 1 Final Completed Game)
• Overscan loading screen : SA GGP
• Second Intro screen Original Artwork ( Galaga enemy ): Sixty Von Stucka

It has been programmed in two days during the AC2024 Show (13th and 14th April 2024).

The Key is a point and click Amstrad CPC graphical adventure game using the Paket engine discovered in 2019 in this video of the demo game Escape the ROM created by Jordi Sureda (graphics) and Santi Ontañón (code). The game was available in spanish and english, it is now also available in french and italian since the 8th June. But you will have to solve a short enigma to be able to download the program.

PunyInform v5.5 by Fredrik Ramsberg and Johan Berntsson is a library written in Inform 6 to create adventure game (pure text, no graphic support contrary to DAAD) using the Z-machine virtual machine which will run on 8bit computers (or more recent computers too). PunyInform has a parser, knowing of common verbs and a framework to write adventure games.

PunyInform is based on the Inform 6 library written by Graham Nelson. Its goal is to make easily adventure games in Inform 6, with a manual describing the differences between the official library and PunyInform..

Games using PunyInform can be compiled in z3, z5 and z8 format (z3 being the best format for 8bit computers, other formats have more features). Compared to the Inform 6 library, it means that there is no support for the Glulx virtual machine but z3 format is important as Inform 6 doesnt support it.

To compile games written with PunyInform, you should use the Inform 6 compiler maintained by David Kinder. Binaries are available on if-archive. PunyInform needs Inform v6.35 (or more).

They are tutorials to write adventure game with PunyInform (end of the page) and all the documentation including a 8 page cheat sheet (quick reference)..

To try your game after compilation, you can use WinFrotz by David Kinder, to create map easily you can use Trizbort.

And finally, to create an Amstrad CPC and PCW disk image, you will have to use the Puddle BuildTools which works under linux, windows 1x with WSL2 or MacOS with Intel processor and OrbStack.

The Benediction Coding Party #4 meeting organized by Eliot will take place from the Thurday 31th October to Sunday 3rd November 2024 in a new place : salle des Fêtes, Le Bourg, 50450 Sourdeval-les-Bois.

An invitro of the Benediction Coding Party #4 is available on Pouët. It was written by AST and Roudoudou (code) and Duffy (music).

Tiny Dash by Abalore is an Amstrad CPC game using the Play2CPC (for something like FM sound) in overscreen, multiplayer with 2 joysticks, a remake of Boulder Dash like the name suggest. The game is finished but levels must be created and may some more music will be added.

Génération Micros has done an interview of the two brothers Didiers and Olivier GUILLION who wrote some reference games such as 5th Axis and Sapiens on Amstrad CPC and other 8bit computers.

He is continuing his preservation work, you will find on ACME the site by Frédéric BELLEC the french newspaper Amstar in HD from issue 1 to 53 (Amstar CPC starting issue 26 then Amstar Informatique starting issue 48).

PCRetroTech is a recommended Youtube channel if you are interested by the Amstrad PC 1512 (with its 16 colours CGA mode) and PC 1640 (with its plantronics mode). I recommend these videos (there are more of course, the 3rd is also about Amstrad CPC) :

• Studying the Amstrad PC1512 Graphics Chip
• 16 Colour Graphics on the PC in 1982 (plantronics mode on PC 1640
• Amazing Dithering in CGA and EGA Graphics (and how it works), also for Amstrad CPC with the online utility Dithertron which could use more video modes of the CPC (interlaced, mode 2...), see the Dithertron's github

The Cheshire's is an interesting character of the world of Lewis Caroll, which let me think that I still didn't read this book yet...

So I invite your to go quickly read the blog CheshireCat's basket including the article about the ... CRTC5 (no no no, sorry but at Amstrad we count only from 0 to 4) and the two following articles :

• how to find the CRTC5 for 1,29 € on Aliexpress (don't forget to buy also the new CGA card if it's still available)
• splitscreens in BASIC on CRTC5