If you have been able to contact with someone who is a copyright-holder of a title on this site (or indeed, if you are the copyright-holder), please create an ‘Item’ page with the topic ‘Copyrights - Granted’ or ‘Copyrights - Declined’ giving as much detail and documentation as possible. Note the node number at the end of the URL you have created.

Then, edit the corresponding product pages, and please type that node number into the text box below the “Copyrights” pop-up menu.

This will help me work more quickly enabling disk images to be downloaded, with less risk of accidentally approving a denied file.

I’ve made it possible to link to a node, when describing that copyrights are Granted or Declined (just type the node number underneath the pop-up menu).

Hopefully this will help me moderate file uploads more quickly, since it can link to documentation which proves that copyrights are granted (rather than me having to trust one person’s word, who might not have the authority to say so).

This item was published as Public Domain, or is believed to have been released into P.D. by the author.

Chris writes on his website:

I’m releasing SAM DEFENDER as freeware. The copyright remains mine and the game must not be sold for profit or gain. I do not object to it appearing in shareware libraries or on SAM software compilation disks. I have no objection to others carrying the disk images as supplied on this site on their own site, providing nothing is added or taken away without permission.

Persona

Chris Pile

SAM Defender was programmed back in the summer of 1998. The project took about four months from start to finish. The initial goal was to write an accurate version of the Williams classic for the SAM.

The SAM version contains faithful reproductions of the original arcade machine graphics, even down to the planet surface which is almost a pixel-by-pixel reproduction of the original. The original arcade machine has a slightly taller vertical screen resolution, so the SAM landscape is ‘squashed’ a little. However, the contours remain exact.

The font used in the SAM version is an exact reproduction of the original, as are the pulsing palette colours. However, some colour resolution was lost due to the original having a palette of 256 colours opposed to the SAM’s 128.

The movement and actions of the various enemies are also faithful to the original, as is the overall game speed.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of the SAM version is the sound effects. The original arcade machine had a 6809 CPU for the game program and a separate 6808 CPU (with its own ROM/RAM) for the sound effects. This separate sound board also had a DAC to produce some amazing sounds. Sadly, the SAM’s old SAA just doesn’t cut it. It is possible to get the SAA to play samples, so the original arcade machine sounds could have been reproduced. However, the poor old Z80B would have been seriously overloaded trying to cope with the game AND the samples! I’ve tried to get the main sound effects as close to the original as I could, the player laser is almost exact. However, some of the more exotic sounds have been improvised. I’ve tried to keep the actions and priorities of the sounds the same as the original. The original could only play one sound at a time, sounds having priorities. I’ve tried to simulate this.

GAME CONTROLS:
———————

Anytime during the front-end/attract screens the following keys apply:

1 … Starts a ONE player game.
2 … Starts a TWO player game.

K … Allows you to re-define the main game controls.

DEFAULT GAME CONTROLS:
———————————

Q ……. UP
A ……. DOWN

O ……. THRUST
P ……. REVERSE

K ……. FIRE LASER

H ……. HYPERSPACE (Zap to a random point in the world)

SPACE … SMARTBOMB (Kills all enemies on-screen)

ESC ….. ABORT GAME

F9 …… PAUSE GAME

There’s a 25% chance of death on re-entry from hyperspace, so only use it if you have to!

You start the game with 3 lives and 3 smartbombs. An extra life and smartbomb are awarded every 10,000 points.

GAME OBJECTIVE:
———————-

Basically shoot everything that moves! Except for the humanoids walking along the planet surface, it’s your job to protect them!

If a Lander captures a humanoid you can release its victim by shooting the Lander.

On shooting the Lander the humanoid begins its fall to the planet surface. Don’t let it fall too far - or it will die on impact!

You catch falling humanoid’s by flying into them. 500 points are given for each catch, a further 500 points are awarded for each humanoid you place back on the planet surface. Falling humanoids will survive impact providing they don’t fall too far. A 250 point bonus is awarded for surviving fallers. Beware, you can also shoot your humanoids - this isn’t generally a good idea!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIu0p3wPcbY

SamCo

From the ashes of Miles Gordon Technology came Sam Computers Limited.

SamCo went into recievership on the 15th July 1992.

Stock of the Coupé was then in the hands of West Coast Computers

Read more at Wikipedia

Read more about SamCo’s demise at The Your Sinclair Rock ‘n’ Roll Years.

Sam PD

Stefan Drissen

A Sam PD disk containing a number of Stefan’s demos and utilities, many of which were otherwise unreleased.

• Some E-Tracker music in the player he contributed to FRED magazine.
  
• A utility to reduce the 16-shade cyan-scale picture to a real 8-colour greyscale.
  
• Some demos converted from the 128k spectrum, including ESI’s LYRA II.
  
• Stefan’s contribution that would have become a part of Statues Of Ice
  
• Prototype windowing system
  
• Prototype Larry game
  
• A few pieces of music (converted from MOD by Thorsten Gudmundsen)mixing samples with sound chip tones

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