Monthly Archives: June 2014

QL Tools for HxC

This is a version of qltools modified to operate directly on .hfe files as used by the HxC floppy emulator. It will need the libhxcfe.dll from the http://hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/index.html  this is available by downloading and extracting the HxCFloppyEmulator software. (Graeme Gregory).

Related to the QL Tools for HxC is a DOS batch copy routine by Ian Johnston, to copy files to an SD card image using the Windows exe version of QLTools (command line) with the HxC floppy emulator, .HFE files. Hopefully of use to HxC users, as the QLTools currently has no facility to process batches of files.

The HxC is a floppy disk emulator system, based on an SD card system which plugs into a QL and pretends (as far as the QL is concerned) to be a floppy disk drive, bu the files are held in an image file on the SD card. A small screen on the HxC interface lets you choose which image to use. Rich Mellor has provided a simple guide to this device at http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/docs/manuals/index.html

Spy and MasterSpy Editors

Spy and Master Spy text editors from A.R.K. (Applied Research Kernel), formerly commercial programs, are now available for free download from Editors and Viewers page. Includes a manual for Master Spy, but manual for Spy to follow.

Thanks to various people, I have been able to preserve version 2.4 and 3.0 of Spy, and versions 1.3, 2.1 and 3.3 of MasterSpy. I’m very grateful to Richard Howe of A.R.K. for permission to make these and the manuals and Configuration Parameter Sheets available from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/editview/index.html

QL Wreck Dive

Rich Mellor has managed to make contact with former QL software author Nick Ward, who wrote some of the QL titles available from CGH Services and DJC. Nick has given permission for his QL software to be released as freeware, starting with v2.03 of Wreck Dive, featuring a diver exploring a shipwreck in search of treasure. 6 decks and 140 rooms to explore. Other titles may follow when we have been able to locate copies. Download the game from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html

Screen dump from Wreck Dive game for QL

Screen dump from Wreck Dive game for QL

Screen dump from Wreck Dive game for QL

Screen dump from Wreck Dive game for QL

Sandy Discount Codes For Quanta Members

Don’t forget if buying certain products from Dave Park at Sandy that you can still use the 25% off code QUANTABAT and QUANTAPAD on the Gold Card battery replacements and microdrive felt pads, and 10% off with QUANTAMIN codes if buying a Minerva MkII (either version) published in the News Supplement of the last issue. These special offer codes for members are valid throughout 2014.

Impact Entertainments QL Software

Rich Mellor writes:

Having tracked down Philip Jones who ran Impact Entertainments with his friend Andrew Cserbakoi, the following items of software have now been released as freeware:

  • Here We Go – a text adventure written in ACT
  • The Gee Gee System – a system to increase your chances when betting on horse races
  • Quizmaster – a Pub Quiz game

I updated Quizmaster to allow you to load in extra sets of questions – this was then sold as Quizmaster II.

I will also release Quizmaster II as freeware.

I can obviously send Quizmaster II including the sources to Dilwyn for the Sinclair QL Homepage.

Phil is going to have a look for copies of Here We Go and the original Quizmaster. Hopefully they also have a copy of the Gee Gee system (presuming any of these cartridges still load).

However, if anyone else has copies of these programs on disk – please send them to Dilwyn…

Here We Go! and Quizmaster II are now available to download from the Games page on my website at http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html

QL On A Stick SE

Released in early April through Quo Vadis Design (on CD) and Sandy (on USB flash memory drive), this is a new and totally reworked version of the popular emulators package.

QL On A Stick SE

It has been released to coincide with QPC2 being made freeware, but there’s a whole lot more to it than that. Added to the packages are various Windows-based file transfer packages such as the QXL.WIN Explorer, WXQT2, QXLtool and QLTools and disk imaging programs such as Floopy, Floppy Image and Emt4Win. Incidentally, WXQT2 and QXLWIN Explorer are now available to download from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/files/index.html

QL On A Stick SE

The font end menu is now completely reworked, giving access to many more documentation files, for example, as well as the Windows utility programs.

QL On A Stick SE is available from Quo Vadis Design at http://www.ql-qvd.com/ and on a USB pen drive from Sandy at http://sinclairql.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=59

QL On A Stick SE

If you’d like to be the proud owner of what is possibly the smallest portable QL ever, you can also get a copy on a 2GB mini-pen drive measuring just 30mm x 12mm (plus a small carry cord – see picture) direct from me at the address inside the front cover for just 5 pounds, but please call to check first as I have only a handful of these mini drives left. I can take Paypal payment, get in touch for the details.

QL On A Stick SE

QL On A Stick SE – The smallest ‘QL’ ever?

Sinclair QL USB Drives

picture of a Sinclair QL USB Drive

You’ll be the talk of the meet-up with the smallest QL ever from Sandy.

QL On A Stick comes on a stylish, black 2GB USB drive and includes latest versions of all the most popular emulators in one device. This high quality 2GB drive is stylishly etched with the Sinclair QL logo on the front. Sustained read speeds of 25MB and write speeds of 15MB. AA grade flash memory formats to 1,999,294,400 bytes.

Never fear of getting out of date – you can update emulators individually by visiting the authors’ sites. This is a brand new version of the QL On A Stick package, featuring various QL emulators for Windows, including QPC, SMSQmulator, QemuLator (shareware version), QLay2 and QL2K.

http://sinclairql.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=59

Colossal Cave

Screen dump of opening screen of Colossal Cave adventure for QL

Colossal Cave adventure

The first ever “interactive fiction” adventure game, Colossal Cave by William Crowther, is available for the QL. Tobias Fröschle obtained the sources from http://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/source/ and ported it to the QL.

Here’s the description from my website:

Colossal Cave – originally produced in the 1970s, this was the historic first “interactive fiction” game where you type in what to do next in simple English in a computer presented scenario. Originally written by William Crowther in 1975, enhanced in 1976 by Don Woods and ported to many computer systems since, it has now been ported to the QL by Tobias Fröschle. Play the role of someone exploring the Colossal Cave system in Kentucky, but beware, although there are rumours of gold and treasure, magic is afoot – you are in a twisty maze of passageways (all alike!)…

See the README_TXT file after downloading and unpacking the zip file for instructions – basically, point DATA_USE and PROG_USE to the directory containing the program files and execute the ADVENT_EXE program. (51K download)

It is now available from the Games page on my website: http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html  under the title Colossal Cave.

Colossal Cave adventure for QL

Colossal Cave adventure for QL

An older port of this game by David Stevenson is still available from the Quanta Library, disk GS 03