Uto's 8 bit page
About this page
Welcome to @uto_dev's Spectrum dedicated web site. I've put together some of my ZX-Spectrum related projects and/or FAQs in this site.
I got my first ZX Spectrum back in September 1984, and it was the computer where I learnt programming... and gaming. As I've been involved in some Spectrum and other 8 bit machines (C64, MSX, CPC, PCW, Plus/4) projects lately I've decided to build this site to put them all together.
My stuff
DAAD & PAWS Stuff
PAWS and DAAD are text adventure engines for old 8 bit games. DAAD was the most advanced one and can generate games for many old machines. I have created some stuff to improve and ease development with them:
Utilities
I'm also the author or co-author of a few 8 bit related utilities:
- ZXUC: menu driven ZX-Uno setup utility
- Radascreen: a converter from 128x96x16 uncompressed BMP file to TAP file, to be loaded in ZX-Uno radastan mode
- SNA2WAV: a modified version of Antonio Villena's utility able to create ultraloads (really fast turbo loading Spectrum games). This version is command line to allow batch conversions.
- Alternative ZX-Uno firmware: a modified version of Antonio Villena's firmware with some interesting features. (notice there has been more releases of that firmware after the initial post, check for more further on that thread)
My writings
I've had written some articles 8-bit or text-adventure realated. Some of them I wrote in English, some of them in Spanish:
About 8-bit stuff:
- SmartROM: alternative firmware and core for the ZX-Uno Spectrum Core for FPGA boards without a flash (or unable to use it the way it's needed like the Spetrum Next)
- The awakening of the Spectrum 128k
About how the Spectrum 128K was concieved at the Investronica facilities in Spain. - Reading disks faster with Amstrad CPC using firmware
About reading part of files using Amstrad CPC firmware, but avoiding the slowness of CAS_IN_CHAR. - DivIDE/DivMMC fácil
A introduction to the best ever ZX Spectrum interface. - Primeros pasos con Sugarless, a ZX-Uno Companion
A introduction to the board able to adapta a ZX-Uno to be used inside a ZX spectrum +2/+3 case - Un teclado de +2/+3 moderno
A proposal for a better layout in the ZX Spectrum +2/+3 Keyboard.
About text-adventures, 8-bit related:
- A DAAD tutorial for beginners
A tutorial for DAAD Adventure Writer, for those new to this tool. - Maluva and DRC
An introduction to Maluva addon for DAAD, and new DAAD Reborn compiler (DRC). - A DAADed game o hacker
About how DAAD adventure writer was recovered and back to life about 25 years later. - DAAD releases
About how to create your own disks to release DAAD games. - ZEsarUX debugger for DAAD
Using ZEsarUX emulator built in features to debug DAAD games. - ZEsaruX debugger para DAAD
Using ZEsarUX emulator built in features to debug DAAD games (Spanish). - Maluva for dummies
Introduction to MALUVA addon for DAAD - An UnDAADed game o hacker
About how DAAD database format was finally reverse engineered.
About text-adventures in general
- Programando una aventura conversacional
You need to read this if you are going to create your first ever text adventure. - Elige tu propia aventura: Squiffy
A introduction to Squiffy, choice based system to build text adventures. - Vorple — Ficciones interactivas atractivas
How to make interactive fiction games look nicer. - ¿Dónde están los aventureros?
An analisys about where the spanish text adventure player were when missing.
FAQs
I've created a few FAQs for the ZX-Uno FPGA clone and its ZX-GO+ variation, please find them below. Please notice the ZX GO+ is in the end a ZX-Uno, so reading both FAQs is recommended for people interested in it.
Other stuff
- HDFMonkey: I've managed to compile hdfmonkey, an utility to handle hdf files with command line orders, for Windows. You can find it here. There may be a chance it does not work with 32 bit windows, it it does, please let me know. Warning: to compile it under Win32 I had to remove some code that I'm not really sure what it was for. I've seen no side effect so far, but use it at your own risk. HDFMonkey is an utility by gasman.
- Most of what I've developed for fun is related with text adventure games, see my github repositories. It took me a while to replace the Turbo Pascal CRT functions until I got the Turbo Pascal RTL source code.
Ye olde times
This is not my first 8 bit related page, but this other one.