Gamebase ZX in development!

[Paul Thompson]

Hi

I have been working on database of Spectrum games called 'Gamebase ZX'. It too uses the Gamebase frontend like Gamebase 64 and has its own webpage at http://www.worldofspectrum.org/GamebaseZX/. However despite repeated emails to the Gamebase author James Burrows he seems to be totally unreachable! His he still around and developing Gamebase?

[SexyWayne]

i've just downloaded it, and it's great keep up the good work , afaik james frequents the forum quite a bit, it's probably just a case of if your post is noticed or not

[J2003C]

I think James has been very busy. In a recent post he had mentioned how busy he was and that he hadn't posted lately.

The Speccy version looks GREAT! I especially like the pokes list. That way you can include originals while still having "trainers." How many games do you estimate there are for the ZX Spectrum? I assume this will be a very long-term project, like the GBC for the C64?

[Paul Thomspon]

Hi J2003C

Many thanks for the words of encouragement

Software titles for the Spectrum total just over 11,000 and so yes it will take some time to complete! However I am currently adding 100 games per week to the database, but it is impossible to sustain this rate every week when personal circumstances may get in the way!

The next release, sometime next week, will feature 500 games and a seperate database for Utilities. It is my intention to use Gamebase to list not only games and utilities, but also demos and educational software. Each of these will be selectable at startup as seperate databases or switched on-the-fly within Gamebase!

So far I have had no offers of help from Spectrum fans, despite it being hosted on a high-profile site, which surprises me considering the large team that was essembled for Gamebase 64. I hope this changes has Gamebase ZX gets bigger because its easy to say to ones self "why bother when no ones cares". Posts like yours though give me renewed enthusiam and I am not one for giving up, and so Gamebase ZX will be completed even if I do the lot myself!

Thanks again for your comments!

[SexyWayne]

just downloaded the latest update, great work you're doin a fantastic job

[Pugsy]

It's nice to see a speccy gamebase, and I too like the idea of the renaming the notes to pokes....always been rather anti trainer as it just makes cheating the norm rather than the exception and does me out of my fun.

Anyway good work and good luck with the project and I hope you can pick up a few mu.... members to help, it's far too much work for one person as well as being very lonely and often a thankless task

One tip though, if you don't get any volunteers don't be a perfectionist...you'll just make a rod for your own back. Better wait for a few members and use the rod on them

[Guest]

Many thanks guys for your words of encouragement

I thought from the start that it would be nice to have an almost unadulterated database of Spectrum games, and give the user the option of using Pokes if they really wanted to cheat. After they can easily add cracked or trained games to the database for themselves if the Pokes are not enough!

I have just uploaded V0.05 of Gamebase ZX to the 'World of Spectrum' and so it should be available within a day or so (link at the top of this thread). Any feedback from anyone will be greatly appreciated

By the way I will keep everyone informed of Gamebase ZX's progress through this thread!

Bye for now!

[Paul Thompson]

Whoops, forgot to Log-in on the previous post

[Guest]

Hi Paul,

A rare day where I have a little time so I added the news of your database to www.bu22.com. Also added a link on the databases page. Haven't had chance to look at your db yet, but I'll get around to it some time!

Would you like us to setup a GameBaseZX forum for you here, or do you have/will you be getting one on WOS?

[Paul Thompson]

Hi James

Many thanks for putting news and a link for Gamebase ZX on your web site

A forum for Gamebase ZX here would be great! Gamebase is all too new to Spectrum fans and so I am not getting much feedback from users from the World of Spectrum web site at the moment, though this will probably change in the future The already established base of users of Gamebase 64 will probably (hopefully) give Gamebase ZX a try, some will have fond memories of both the 64 and Spectrum machine especially if they live in Europe where a war of popularity raged for over five years between these two machines.

Thanks again for your comments and if you need me to do anything with regards to setting up the forum please let me know

[Guest]

OK, you're now the moderator of the GamebaseZX forum.

[raqman]

Never thought I would live to see the day

[J.romcenter datafile 2.00]

What is speciel with the 2.00 datafiles, when I'm trying to add a dat file in gamebase it say the dat file not this version 2.

Where can I find them on the net?