EUG PD


In This Issue

 
Author: Dave E
Published in EUG #67

Introduction

As you will have noticed, these days you don't have to wait for a number of months (or should that be years) for EUG to update you on the latest programs and happenings in the world of the Acorn Electron. Like all web-sites, a 'What's New?' section keeps regular visitors fully updated with new articles, reviews and other additions to the web site. So, in fact many of you may have already followed the links scattered throughout the site to some of this issue's contents... But, if you have not, good evening and welcome to the biggest issue of EUG - ever!

BIGGEST ISSUE EVER!!!

The disc however, as usual, is 100% new. With the massive amount of archiving, converting and dabbling that we do, it is now becoming increasingly difficult to find swathes of "new stuff" to put on a disc. So when we say '100% new' we cannot really claim you will not have seen at least some of it, somewhere else, before. However, the disc will showcase a selection of contents relevant to the magazine, as well as rounding up those little programs we occasionally find that haven't been archived anywhere else!

First Stop

This issue sess the welcome return of the News column, as well as a retrospective on 2006. We're not too sure of a retrospective and a news update for future issues though, and may therefore try and schedule EUG #68 for a Christmas release.

Articles

Scouring around the Internet, as we tend to do when the boss's not looking, we happened upon the very first article that was ever written about EUG in a commerical magazine, so we've preserved this for historical purposes. It certainly does make interesting reading. In addition, more of those lovely Edge Making Of articles have been converted to web pages so you can read all about Elite and Way Of The Exploding Fist. For you programmers who have ever wondered how to pack screen memory with useful code, Chris Dewhurst introduces DIY SCREENS, and Dave E rounds it all off with a lusciously illustrated guide to the menu systems used throughout the archives.

One Of The Fantastic IMAGE2BBC Results - No More Freehand Designing Ever Again!

Demos

Bucketfuls of demos this issue... First off the demo rack is a small-text utility which displays the font used in the BBC PD Menu Creation Utility. Further down the line, we present some screen-grabs in sequence of the *commands available within GoMMC. Finally, we present the Image2BBC slideshow. And finally finally, if you've got an Elk with the Project Expansions Sound Cartridge, you can experience Daniel's Pugh's It's A Sin Music Demo.

The BBC PD Menu Creation Demo And Utility Allow Some Pleasant Menus To Be Created

Games

Just one game this issue, that of the classic Battleships. Yes, we all know that this has been done 1,000 times before. This version is snappier than most however, with good opening graphics, and a good choice of colour palette. Written by Bobrowski PD, from the first Polish Demos disc.

Reviews

We seem to be bringing you an ever increasing number of reviews in each issue of EUG. This time we've got 'classic reviews' of Aabatron and Five Star Games (because they've recently been discified), 'newly revamped title reviews' of Acorn Programs #2, Daniel Pugh's Music Demo World and Polish Demos 1, 'newly discovered reviews' of the Danosoft Collection and SAS Squad Games and finally one awesome never-before-seen disc-based mega adventure, To Hell In A Hamper.

As if that wasn't enough to dive into, we report on our labours with Electron GoMMC, the fantastic new picture conversion tool Image2BBC and gather some very useful information from Mr. Bill Perry about the Acorn Merlin.

Solutions

Oh yes, there are solutions elsewhere but they're never tested like we test 'em before we publish!

Get yourself through a holiday with Beryll and the kids in Melbourne House's Terrormolinos and marvel at our wonderous graphical journey through buggy Twin Kingdom Valley.

Utilities

Have you ever used the BBC PD music discs? Well, now you can use the self-same menu system to create a colourful Mode 1 screen to the same specifications with the BBC PD Menu Creation Utility. Alas, it only works on the BBC Master 128 due to memory limitations.

Plus!

This issue's opener is actually converted from the Spectrum loading screen to R-Type, in case it's driving you crazy where you've seen it before! ;-)

You can post feedback on EUG and any other aspects of the Acorn Electron World website to dave_a_e AT hotmail.com.

Dave E