Best QL Games

A place to discuss general QL issues.
Post Reply
User avatar
bwinkel67
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1187
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:09 am

Best QL Games

Post by bwinkel67 »

I haven't played too many QL games in my time and I have seen some ZX Spectrum games on YouTube and they seem pretty cool. I used to have this 3D tank game in the 90's (Tanks maybe?), a vector graphics game that was not that great. Oh, and a Flight simulator as well. I also have Matchpoint and QL Chess which are pretty good graphically and play well.

Lately I downloaded the games pack for vDrive. Haven't gone through too many but I really like Spook. Not just because it's a fun game but because it's a really quality implementation on the QL. I thought Matchpoint was pretty good but Spook is just far and away the best I've seen so far.

So question is, what are some other quality games on the QL that rival other platforms in their implementation and design. I'm not generally asking for your favorite game because sometimes we love the simple ones, I know I do. Just a game that when you saw you thought wow, that's cool graphics and a great implementation that looks professional.

Put another way, if I show friends Matchpoint or QL Chess it doesn't really grab their attention but if I show them Spook, they light up and go "cool game."


User avatar
vanpeebles
Commissario Pebbli
Posts: 2816
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 7:13 pm
Location: North East UK

Re: Best QL Games

Post by vanpeebles »

bwinkel67 wrote: Just a game that when you saw you thought wow, that's cool graphics and a great implementation that looks professional.
That sounds like Qbits games, as seen here:

https://www.qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1768

But you can also check out my game here:

https://www.qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3072

And also Andrew's recently released excellent PI Cole here:

https://www.qlforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3035


RWAP
RWAP Master
Posts: 2834
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:51 pm
Location: Stone, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Best QL Games

Post by RWAP »

I liked Damon Chaplin's games, and Alan Pemberton's adventures - Voyage of the Beano is a real classic adventure with some lovely hand drawn graphics.

Starplod was also a nice take on the adventure game (icon controlled).

It depends whether you want arcade games or adventure games I guess :)


User avatar
ge.konstantopoulos
ROM Dongle
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:01 pm

Re: Best QL Games

Post by ge.konstantopoulos »

I think Deathstrike is another excellent game for the sinclair QL

Spook and Dearhstrike are in another level and show how much potential was (is ?) there, but never exploited (the sudden death of 1986 stopped the software booming that was happening back then)

I am sure you will like it.

GK


User avatar
Sparrowhawk
Super Gold Card
Posts: 624
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:33 pm
Location: @131072
Contact:

Re: Best QL Games

Post by Sparrowhawk »

Damon Chaplin's Assault and battery is my favourite arcade game on the QL. Not that I play arcade games much, but as an example of what was possible, it's top tier I'd say.

Adventure-wise, there's the Pawn of course; the recent remaster with ported over graphics looks great. And as Rich says, the Voyage of the Beano is superb too.


a.k.a. Jean-Yves
User avatar
Chr$
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1304
Joined: Mon May 27, 2019 10:03 am
Location: Sachsen, Germany
Contact:

Re: Best QL Games

Post by Chr$ »

I like Tank Busters, but it's rare to find. It's pretty tense having things chase/shoot you in a 3D wire world.


https://QXL.WIN
Collector of QL related computers, accessories and QL games/software.
Ask me about felt pads - I can cut them to size and they have proved excellent for mdv data recovery.
RWAP
RWAP Master
Posts: 2834
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:51 pm
Location: Stone, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Best QL Games

Post by RWAP »

Chr$ wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:38 am I like Tank Busters, but it's rare to find. It's pretty tense having things chase/shoot you in a 3D wire world.
[/quote

Yes, I did try to track down Dave Sellars that wrote it but never managed to find the right one. It is a classic game which deserves to be available.


spkr
Bent Pin Expansion Port
Posts: 98
Joined: Tue May 04, 2021 6:52 pm

Re: Best QL Games

Post by spkr »

Obviously the best game is Bugziacs.ql :) (warning; self-promotion!)

You can find it here:
https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=89114

Kind regards,
Wietze


User avatar
ql_freak
Gold Card
Posts: 353
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:29 am

Re: Best QL Games

Post by ql_freak »

I think one of the best games, nearly comparable to other computers (QL does not have hardware comparable to e.g. a C64) was Vroom (a car racing simulation). The graphics was superb (for its time) and IMHO comparable with C64 and Spectrum games.

Another game I have liked a lot, was an submarine game available only in the German QL Club. Written in interpreted(!) SuperBASIC it simulated a German WWII submarine. It have had nearly no graphics, but was very realistic. If you forgot to close the torpedo pipes and you dived... (blub blub blub).


http://peter-sulzer.bplaced.net
GERMAN! QL-Download page also available in English: GETLINE$() function, UNIX-like "ls" command, improved DIY-Toolkit function EDLINE$ - All with source. AND a good Python 3 Tutorial (German) for Win/UNIX :-)
RWAP
RWAP Master
Posts: 2834
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:51 pm
Location: Stone, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Best QL Games

Post by RWAP »

ql_freak wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 11:51 pm I think one of the best games, nearly comparable to other computers (QL does not have hardware comparable to e.g. a C64) was Vroom (a car racing simulation). The graphics was superb (for its time) and IMHO comparable with C64 and Spectrum games.

Another game I have liked a lot, was an submarine game available only in the German QL Club. Written in interpreted(!) SuperBASIC it simulated a German WWII submarine. It have had nearly no graphics, but was very realistic. If you forgot to close the torpedo pipes and you dived... (blub blub blub).
That may have been the forerunner of Grey Wolf, which did have graphics and was set on board a German U-Boat...


Post Reply