Tag Archives: sinclair ql

The Simulator (Ekotek)

We have received permission from Robert Stekelenburg (who owned Ekotek) to make The Simulator, a flight simulator program for the QL, freeware.

We have preserved a copy which runs as a disk image in q-emulator – there is currently copy protection on this, which reduces how many copies can be made onto real disks, but at least it does allow stand-alone disk copies to be made. Robert is going to see if he still has sources so we can see if we can try to get the copy protection removed, but at least it’s available and usable now.

Detleft Obermann has put in a lot of work to make this program usable, with assistance from Tobias Fröschle. For example, the program can now be switched between MODE 8 and MODE 4.

Ian Burkinshaw has reproduced a manual and the maps and crib sheets as PDF files, available to download as PDF files alongside the program itself from the Games page on my website at http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html

Screen dump from The Simulator for Sinclair QL

Screen dump from The Simulator for Sinclair QL

SMSQmulator v1.27

Wolfgang Lenerz has announced that version 1.27 of the Java-based emulator is available to download free from his website at http://www.wlenerz.com/SMSQmulator/

It now is possible to configure it so that it doesn’t use much CPU time when the machine is idle. Changes to this only take effect after the next reset. Please read the manual section in this respect.

Other recent updates to the emulator include:

  • Also now has Aurora compatible screen mode.
  • SHIFT ESC now makes a copyright symbol.
  • MEM device for using QXL.WIN from RAM when SMSQmulator is run as an embedded applet from a website.
  • Millisecond timer using Java keywords JTMRSET and JTMRGET.
  • Sound device added in v1.23, meaning you can now use _ub (unsigned byte) sound files merely by COPYing them to the SOUND device, e.g. COPY test_ub TO SOUND. The SOUND device is largely compatible with Simon Goodwin’s SOUND driver for other systems.
Screen shot of the software supplied with SMSQmulator

The Software Supplied With SMSQmulator