Last Ninja Acorn Archimedes version?

[Charlie]

Hello all - how did I miss this thread..?

No sign of the full version yet? Bum.

I'll have to pester my brother & see if he really got rid of it...

FWIW: Despite being a great platform there's never been much of an 'Acorn scene' and so very few worthwhile sites - I have a horrible feeling Acorn stuff is going missing all the time

A few links:
http://www.drobe.co.uk/
http://www.acornarcade.com/forums/
http://www.riscos.org/users/index.html

Wocki is trying hard to collect RiscOS games together.
http://acorn.revivalteam.de/?site=VirtualA5000
He may well be worth asking. Even if he hasn't got it I'm sure he'd appreciate a copy if it's found.
ArcGB Is potentially an important project.

Usenet: news:comp.sys.acorn.games

Software database - Lots of dead links, which is a worry.

Paul Vigay - Has been a 'big man' on the RiscOS 'scene' for donkey's years. Maybe worth contacting.

I hope that helps.

I have a full copy of Virtual A5000 kicking about. It's commercial software but as it's no-longer for sale, if anyone's interested...
Virtual RPC is great (if expensive) too. But that's still actively developed so I'd better not offer that one up

[laffer]

Have a look at this -

http://www.liquid-silicon.com/shop/p...080c062b1323ac

Play It Again Sam 4 - £16.98

Platform: RISC OS

Games compilation of The Crystal Maze, Ravenskull, The Pharoah's Secret Tombs, The Last Ninja. Supplied on floppy discs.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 04 January, 2008.

EDIT - is this a compilation of 8 Bit Electron games for RiscOS or is it Archimedes versions? Anyone know?

In this tiny picture from the site, it says "Last Ninja Arc" -

[Charlie]

Hmmm, it does still exist.

Still, it does seen to be a RiscOS thing that it's ok to sell ancient software @ d*mn-near new prices.

Abuse I'd forgotten about that.

EDIT - dont take this as gospel, but I think it is a RiscOS compilation:
Acorn Gaming: Database

[alexh]

Originally Posted by laffer

is this a compilation of 8 Bit Electron games for RiscOS or is it Archimedes versions? Anyone know?

I dont know for sure... but the ARC at the end is to indicate old Archimedes as opposed to RiscPC so I would say it was the Archimedes version. This is backed up by the comment in Acorn Gaming database i.e. (Last Ninja not Risc PC compatible)

Now whether it is actually just the demo... that is another matter

If you are interested... I could call them find out if they have it instock?

Edit: You think someone is reading this thread? The price just increased to £19.95?

[laffer]

Whoah, that is indeed strange!

[alexh]

Take care if you buy, there is another "Play it again sam 4" out there for the BBC B by Superior Software (Frak!, Spellbinder, Cosmic Camoflage, Grand Prix Construction set).

[alexh]

Interesting 2001 newsgroup thread

Perhaps a few more people to contact? David Bradforth in this thread seems like he knows a thing or two..

This confirms that PIAS4 contains the archimedes version of LN1

[laffer]

Hmmm ok.. then I will have to buy it! I just hope it's the full version.

[OddbOd]

Laffer, I think you know about this already but for the benefit of other LN hunters, another retailer with LN Archi.

http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/micros/in...PR-LASNI.shtml

Something about this whole affair stinks, the same half a dozen names/companies keep popping up again and again, perhaps it's an Archimafia conspiracy!

[laffer]

Hmmm there might be a problem - I got a reply from the guy the mail from Superior Interactive told me to contact and it turns out he runs the Liquid Silocon site (the site I was planning to buy the game from). I asked him if it's possible to make an image of the floppies and he said -

No sorry, I think the discs still have copy protection on them.

Could this be a problem? Is there a way to make disc images of copy protected Arc games?

[alexh]

Some of the people at Acorn Arcade could potentially remove it... but you'd have to loan them the disks.

[blade002]

I used to be really impressed when i would read articles about the Archie back in the day, and i would have happily bought one if it had of took off in a big way like the Amiga did. Its a real shame it didn't get the recognition it truly deserved, because that thing was one mother of a system!!

[laffer]

Originally Posted by alexh

Some of the people at Acorn Arcade could potentially remove it... but you'd have to loan them the disks.

I'll gladly to that if necessary.

[alexh]

This guy Jeffrey Lee, aka Phlamethrower seems your best bet

Homepage

But I think you would need the approval of the Author. All the games he's done so far were official releases.

[alexh]

Interesting article here about someone trying to create disk images of LN. Some hint that he couldnt do it with his PIAS4 disks. (But a comment that he already had it as a disk image??)

[laffer]

Yeah, I saw that thread... I emailed the guy but it didn't seem he has the disk image anyway. He was very nice though and replied very quickly.

EDIT - perhaps I could try using this? I really don't know much about dumping floppies

[alexh]

You could try it but I fear that it wont work with copy protected game disks and is probably the reason that LN is so rare.

You would need the equivalent of iPF (Amiga) or PaSTi (Atari ST) or ATP (Atari 8-bit) and I dont think there is one for the Archimedes.

Looks like you'll have to buy an Acorn A3010 and use a TV card to capture the video

[laffer]

Hmmm... there has to be some way

Floppies don't last forever, I'd really want an image

[alexh]

Originally Posted by laffer

Hmmm... there has to be some way

Getting it cracked is the only short term fix. There will be no short term solution to imaging disks... not only would you have to develop the imaging software but you'd also have to change the emulators too.

[laffer]

I wonder if there still is anyone knowing how to crack Archimedes games.