Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

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tofro
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by tofro »

Probably yes. (And yes, there are only very few "good" games for the QL).

The QL never really attracted any of the larger software houses (except, maybe, Psion), thus mainly had games software from kitchen table coder origin.

There are a few exceptians like Jungle Eddi or Alien Hijack that really stand out in the animation department (maybe not in gameplay, however), but overall, the games were pretty simple.

Being required to ship on relatively expensive Microdrive media probably was another reason - Games were high-price, and sales were relatively low.


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XorA
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by XorA »

Probably should mention big games were once planned.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2033&hilit=bandersnatch


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M68008
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by M68008 »

spkr wrote:Thank you all for your responses, slowly it's starting to get clear to me. From the zx spectrum, I have the experience that one can select an image or tape from an overarching menu, which is then loaded directly into ram and executed.

From what you guys are telling me, I'm getting the impression that the solutions available for the ql are actual storage devices and act as such; and providing the actual interfacing rather than writing directly I to memory. As such they (all but bribe) need code resident in memory to access the storage. Multiple devices requiring multiple resident pieces of code could conflict.
For vDrive, you can read the microdrive image you previously selected without loading any code in memory. To switch image, on the other hand, you need to load some code in memory, but then can reboot and read the new image without extra code.
As someone already mentioned, vMap is a very useful (or essential) addition to vDrive.


spkr
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by spkr »

Heh, where vdrive was available to order yesterday, it seems to be out of stock today :(.

Lets hope that they get in stock again!


spkr
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by spkr »

I contacted the guy that makes them, and he linked me to his shop that just opened (and that allows me to order the vdrive). https://vretrodesign.com

Just gotta be patient now :ugeek:


RichardCGH
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Re: Sinclair QL Storage Solutions

Post by RichardCGH »

Lack of good games on the QL :
1) After the initial enthusiasm, most of the larger software houses soon left, for either the established 8-bits - C64 and Spectrum (where the game-playing user base was) or to the new 16-bit Atari ST and Commodore Amiga series.
QL sales were low and slow. Microdrive carts seen as unreliable and expensive.
2) Sinclair was keen to promote the QL as a serious educational and business machine. Games were an afterthought. This was mirrored by the vocal end of the QL User base who showed little interest in buying games, being an older demographic. Games were for teenagers - most of whom couldn't afford a QL and saw little point in saving up and buying one once the ST and Amiga arrived.
3) Technically one could write good games, but the limited graphics but large memory meant that adventures and strategy games were a better fit for the machine and its users, rather than arcade style games. They were also better suited to the amateur coder.
4) Developing software for the QL became a PITA. Many different ROMs, different memory sizes, different peripherals, different media, etc. Most games coders used stock QLs, and it was too expensive for small-scale publishers to buy all the possible peripherals, memory expansions, ROMs etc, and too time-consuming to test every possible combination. We ended up having to produce bespoke versions for purchasers because of incompatibilities. Not cost-effective.


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