Hidden code in Brainstorm game

[jimmy]

I was surprised how popular Brainstorm was in the recent Pete Cooke poll, so I decided to try and make an Interface 2 cartridge version of it. This worked surprisingly well as the game compressed nicely with ZX0 - so much so that I could also fit in the Screen$.

When going through the code it was calling ROM routines I couldn't account for. It turns out that there is a level editor in the game, the question was how to get at it? I eventually worked out if you press keys 1+3+5 then select a menu entry you can get into the level editor. I've modified a couple of levels and they played OK. I've tried loading and saving levels, both with no issues - so I'm wondering why this feature was hidden from the final release? Can anybody make it malfunction?

There is also a second hidden part, which is the "Blocks" mini game. Press keys 2+4 then select a menu entry to get into it.

The Interface 2 version modifies the main menu screen so you can click as normal into the level editor or the Blocks mini game.It also fixes the SInclair / Protek joystick options so they work as expected - just like Zolyx.

[goodboy]

it has long been known
https://www.the-tipshop.co.uk/cgi-bin/i ... ware%20Ltd

[jimmy]

it has long been known
https://www.the-tipshop.co.uk/cgi-bin/i ... ware%20Ltd

Hmm, actually in Crash magazine issue 60 ? - yes you're right, it has been known for a long time! I will use TipShop more in the future.

I still don't know if the code has some obvious / not-so-obvious bug in it, and it took me a while to edit the main menu screen to include 2 new options!

It's amazing what you can find in some games. For example, Tycoon contains an unreleased MCODER compiler in it. ZXDB describes it as compiled with ERE's MCoder III, but it's actually Threlfall/Hodgson's unreleased MCODER 3 . This later evolved into HiSoft's COLT.

Another observation is why does "Monopoly" by Leisure Genius contain the phrase "APPLE DOS" in it? - see $878A. Is that boot sector code just after it?

[bluespikey]

Still an interesting read. It's always odd that Pete Cooke started with text adventures, rose to the mighty heights of Tau Ceti and Earthlight, then finished up writing stuff for Firebird and cover tapes.

[ketmar]

then finished up writing stuff for Firebird and cover tapes.

for me, it looks like "going indie", with some strange game ideas nobody wanted to sell full-price. i now think that "a whole new ball game" is really fun, but i wouldn't pay for it back in the day.

it also looks like Pete Cooke invented mobile games (good mobile games) before mobiles appeared. ;-)

[merman]

Still an interesting read. It's always odd that Pete Cooke started with text adventures, rose to the mighty heights of Tau Ceti and Earthlight, then finished up writing stuff for Firebird and cover tapes.

It's more that EMAP/C&VG were looking for a multi-format game to put on a cover tape and Firebird had Brainstorm available. Reckon it must have been a fairly cheap deal as it had already been out for a while.

Interesting to know there was an editor in memory - wonder if there's something similar hidden in the other formats, or they used level data from the Spectrum version?