MtM

I have finally gotten around to listening to all those 'glorious' versions of Moonlight Sonata and Blue Danube. Some of the versions of Sonata are great fun. Having listened to all of them though I think the original Danube in MM is still the worst 😉 I take my hat off for all the time and trouble taken to produce them by IRF etc and of course originally Dr B, commendable, and finally an explanation is provided as to _why_ it sounds as comically bad as it does, after all these years. The level of expertise and knowledge on this forum rarely fails to amaze me, it is genuinely humbling.

Managed to miss this thread for a bit folks, can I add my complete gratitude to Norman for his superb work in Manic Panic too, it is just superb, so thank you Norman.

Happy New Year all! Special mention on this thread today. Some of you may have watched the annual New Year's Day concert from Vienna, and you may know that it always finishes with the Radetzky March by Johann Strauss Sr, which is the in-game music from both the original Tecnhician Ted on the old 48k beeper, and the ay version on Technician Ted: The Megamix. Just thought I would flag this up, both the concert itself if you haven't seen it (yet) and the music, one of my absolute favourites, I cannot hear the Radetzky March without always thinking of Technician Ted, bit like Hall of the Mountain King and Moonlight Sonata / If I Were a Rich Man with MM & JSW respectively (The comically awful excerpt from The Blue Danube at the opening of MM I don't count, not least that memory belongs rightly to playing Elite ;-)) The concert is on BBC Four at 7pm this evening if in the UK. The Radetzky March will be on at around 8.35pm or so. Enjoy!

Thank you for that, very kind - but I try and avoid these maps for when I play the actual game myself through and map it myself, or at least that is the plan, anyway 😂 These maps take me back to the glory days of WoS, when everything was so easy to find and download 😉

yes I agree, going down the old vm route probably isn't worth it. I will get around to it at some point though. In truth if time were not an issue I think I would prefer to do a Manic Miner Easter game in time for Easter next year, then a MM Christmas game afterwards for next Christmas. There is a precedent for this - some may remember Chuckie Egg II on the Spectrum, that was released at Easter 1985 to coincide with the whole chocolate egg theme, something that you had to do in the game, construct a chocolate egg. Anyway, it all remains a pipe dream at the moment...

I think you are right, Spider, if you look at http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/games/jsw2/jsw2_updated.html Derek Rowson himself explains. Never saw that screen in TT2, but I do not play it enough. I build up momentum to think, right, I will play this now all the way through, but never quite get around to it. One day maybe. I do consider both TTs as classics, technically better than JSW but lacking the slightly easier and in this instance better gameplay mechanics. However, both TT's do reward real practice. If you can finish them then you can probably complete anything. Such a pity the authors never went on to other things. Costa Capers remains a bit of an oddity, part Dynamite Dan, part Wally game, part TT, but not quite there really. I do think it is brilliant though technically and narratively too, you can see the programmers stretching their wings both technically and game play wise. Anyway, I hope we are all having a wonderful Christmas ...

Merry Christmas to us all, and to all a good night 😉 Norman, that is a wonderful picture of Willy and Maria. I never really thought of them like that before 😉 I guess things can change after 36 years or so. Let us hope that the New Year brings better things and relief for everyone. And new MM & JSW games too! Literally playing MM original on mac Fuse as I type !

Yes, I have yet to install the latest version, but even that sounds like it will look quite tiny at 4k. You can't really run monitors in less that native without them looking poor visually. No matter, I will manage. I am swapping between my pc and an m1 MacBook pro at the moment, so not able to get any time on the editor whilst on the mac as I am now. However, Fuse works well on the mac under big sur for what it is worth. Thanks for the info from everyone about the different versions etc. I have assumed there is no such editor available for the mac. Hope everyone is prepared for Christmas and has a safe time of it. MM for me Christmas Day once I get a bit of time, the original, will try and play through all 20 caverns, will probably give the Bug Byte version a go this time. I hope everyone gets what they have asked Father Christmas for too. Maybe this should be on a different thread, sorry ....

If I weren't so very busy this week I would have given it a bit more of a go. In truth, some time off next week, so maybe then ... I will install the latest version too. As I jokingly said though, on my 4k display the editor screen is tiny, there doesn't seem to be any way of expanding it. It is usable, but not easy to read. Am I being thick or is it locked like this?

Very well presented that, I really like it. I will subscribe. Don't know if this is the best place, but did you all see this when it appeared? https://blakearts.artstation.com/projects/0nlgw5?album_id=2519164 MM 3D no less.

For what it is worth, I am all in favour of something as rough and ready as you like, just a few Christmas screens might be fun, especially in MM.

Well, your words must have had some effect, and the link provided made it very easy, so I _did_ download and install it last night and had a very quick look. I must say it looks splendid on my 4k desktop 😉 I have gone for the most stable version, 2.2.9 - is the version you mention considerably different? However, I will see what I can do when I can. Perhaps tonight...

That is fair comment I think, but there is part of me that would like some rough and ready few levels to play now for this Christmas, I know that is a bit selfish of me. There was the tremendous MM done for the start of lockdown this year with 10 levels, I know not much changed in it but none the less, there is such expertise on these forums. But I know too people are busy with Christmas. It is more realistic to think something could be done for next Christmas I guess.

You know, it has been a dream to sit and do this, make my own JSW game, I would love to do it, ever since I played the magical original it changed and inspired my life, as odd as that may sound but probably not among the people on here. (I have deliberately never completed JSW the original, as once it is finished that is like the end, the magic is over - I am happy with the mystery.) Like many folk though, it's the time to do it, work, family etc. very difficult to think I will commit a _lot_ of time to doing something like that, even though I would personally get a big kick out of uploading it here, even if just a few of the real faithful on this site played it that would be good enough. Maybe one day, maybe ... but I take your comments and reply seriously, and it is noted, so thank you.

Norman Sword, Norman Sword - we love you! But we only have 14 days to save the earth with a Christmas Manic Miner! 😉

Right! This must happen. Let us set up a Kickstarter to fund it, with a Next version, and have it ready for next year's Christmas! Well, we can dream. It does sound like a splendid idea for a JSW though. I am slightly relieved that I haven't missed a Christmas themed MM or JSW somewhere. Maybe a Christmas themed MM would be both easier and quicker do? Perhaps this is a weekend challenge for all those much more talented than me - to make a rough and ready Christmas MM in time for this Christmas? Even if just a few sprites and cells changed? I will pay money for it! A little anyway.

I have downloaded v.1.5 Norman. Thanks for all your hard work and keeping the faith. Now, is there a Christmas version of MM or JSW I have missed somewhere? MOD EDIT: The posts within this topic were split out of the original 'Download Discussion Topic' for Manic Panic, with hopefully a suitable title.

Ho! Excellent news! Like an early Christmas present! Very happy _the_ MM/JSW resource is back online. How about a Christmas MM version to celebrate?

Apologies if this has been seen already ... https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2985 It's quite good fun. I would expect 100% from the people on here...

Is Manic Panic finished then Norman, or anything else in store with it?

Yes, Kokotoni Wilf was another great game from the same era, but as has been said, not quite the magic of MM & JSW - they just have ingredient X, a certain magic about both games, even now. Some of it is clearly psychological nostalgia, remembering our hopefully happy childhoods, but I don't still play MM & JSW for purely sentimental reasons, I enjoy the gameplay and find it rewarding, and for what my opinion is worth, there are virtually no new decent PC games worth playing anymore for me, I have almost given up with them. I enjoyed RTX Quake II, not much since. I agree entirely with what you say about TT The Megamix, and this is the version I currently have in progress, slightly easier and bigger and better generally, and in truth I have poked it for infinite time too as it detailed above. I have Costa Capers on the go occasionally too, but as you say, innovative - yes. Good gameplay? Hmm. Sometimes. I think it might be slightly easier than TT though. But a bit of a hybrid. Still, the Marsden and Cooke team I think it was they did provide some very high quality software, technically very good, mega loaders (TT The Mega Mix is just stellar and the first time you ever saw TT was a thing of amazement as I remember.) I think Costa Capers was their last game sadly.

Diplomatic, that ;-) I hope it doesn't upset anyone but I find it virtually unplayable. A mod too far. Sorry. I commend all your efforts Norman, and without trying things you do not know what can be done.

I am all ears and will gladly read what you can tell us all about the game. It is way too difficult for even a very good gamer as you say. I suppose one thing that is easy for us all to compare who has played MM/JSW & TT are the game mechanics. I like and prefer the more organic/looser style of jumping in MM etc to the sharper jumping feeling in TT, there is more chance for 'personal style' I think in playing MM, whereby TT seems to demand accuracy. My own style, dictated by certain screen design, was found wanting only yesterday playing Pac-Manic-Miner-Man on the Next, a port of MM to the Next using the Pac Man hardware running through RAMS. When on The Cold Store a move I usually make would not work anymore because the timing is slightly different, so it affected my style of play etc. You are right, everyone who has an informed opinion of TT states the time limit is absolutely nails, and combined with the very high degree of difficulty of the screens esp. in the first release of TT where as you say there is no guide even only a few lines in the notes on the cassette inlay to get you started with which tasks first etc. it is approaching impossible for most gamers. Real pity because it has a wonderful feel to it, and looks stellar in places with the sheer smoothness of movement. I suppose this argument is similar to what I have said about some MM & JSW mods, they are just way too hard straight out of the box for me, and remain that way. The degree of difficulty in both the original MM & JSW I think is near perfect, as each screen you tackle the skills are built up as you play over a reasonable period of time, they allow you into the game. Even JSWII falls foul of being too difficult in places, as much as I like it.

Yes, I am sorry, I have seen the references and the music I think in one version too, I should of mentioned that. I do have JSM too.

Yes, I did get the reference thanks, apologies should of made it clearer. It was a nice touch all around. Even in what, 1983, people were making pop references in computing and gaming to things from only a few years ago, circa 1980 Pac Man I think. Perhaps at that time programming itself was a cultural phenomenon, and absorbed and reflected the popular culture of its day.