Mycat Software
| Mycat Software | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 1982 to now |
| Known for | Retro Computer Gaming Software House |
| 🌐 Website | www.stevebroad.co.uk |
Mycat Software is a software house created for publishing games on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum home computer from the early 80s until recently.[1][2][3][4][5]
Games writing
Steve Broad started writing serious games for Mycat Software in 1983. It all started with a game called "3D Pyramid" which was a simple game where you had to find your way out of a pyramid. The game was written in Basic language.[6]
The following year in 1984, many games were written. Steve created a new character called "Goolf" which was based on a golf ball. The first game entitled "Goolf" was a platform game where you had to role Goolf along the platforms, picking up items and timing movements so that the spring would push Goolf up to the next level.[7] There would be more Goolf games written including "Goolf Returns".[8] In 1985, "Bunker Swamp" which starred Goolf in a graphic text adventure.[9] "Goolfs Exit" appeared in 1986.[10] This was another platform game.
Steve also created other games and utilities in 1984 starting with "Alien Rupture" which was a simple alien shooter.[11] A utility called "Drum Machine" which may be the first drum sequencer created for a home computer.[12] Drum Machine was featured in William Jacob's Youtube video titled Ancient Music Software. Drum Machine was the oldest drum sequencing software he could find.[13]
An educational game called "Humpty".[14] A game called "Pad Painter" which was another simple game where you had to paint the screen.[15] The final game of 1984 was another basic game called "Crisp Snatcher".[16]
1985 would see more games and utilities being produced, starting with "Attack of the Alien Waters".[17] A fruit machine.[18] A utility called "UDG Machine" which was aimed at creating user defined graphics.[19]
Finally in 1986, a print compiler utility was produced.[20] This was followed by a graphic text adventure called "Dog Weazle"[21]
Return to ZX Spectrum Games Writing
In 2013 Steve started writing games again as a hobby and continued the Mycat Software name. The game "My Rendition of Horace to the Rescue" was written and was based on an unreleased game called "Horace to the Rescue". It was how Steve imagined the game would be. However, after some leaked images of the original appeared on the internet, Steve's version was completely different. Steve's game was noted in Edition 125 of the Retro Gamer magazine[22].
More unofficial Horace games were written for the online community. This included a part two of "Horace to the Rescue" called "Horace to the Rescue 2". Two platform games based on the Horace character were written. "Horace Miner" and "Horace Miner 2".[23][24][25]
The game "Horace Miner 2" was reviewed in Edition 132 of the Retro Gamer magazine and scored 86%[26].
All four unofficial Horace games were compiled into a ZX Microdrive cartridge as a present from the game character.[27]
Steve continued to write games in 2015 and produced an unofficial game on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum called "Merry Christmas from Horace". The game was reviewed in Retro Gamer magazine and scored 80%. The game package also includes a small game called "Frankie The Rescuer"[28].
Steve was interviewed in the Retro Gamer magazine edition 162 on the 30th November 2016.[29]
Things went quiet until 2020 because Steve had been working on a large space shooter game called "Cygnus Alpha". The game was entered into the Yandex Retro Games Battle 2020 and came in at 7th place. The game was so huge and complicated that it has only ever been released as a Beta. The loading screen and many of the in-game graphics were created by retro games artist Andy Green. The loading screen was featured in the book called "Better Late Than Never: Andy Green Pixel Art"[30][31][32]
In 2024, Steve continued to write games. The latest game is called "No Future" and was released in August 2024.[33][34]
Software titles
Games and utilities written by Steve Broad for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum:
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Frankie the Rescuer | |
| Crisp Snatcher | |
| 3D Pyramid | 1983 |
| Alien Rupture | 1984 |
| Drum Machine | 1984 |
| Goolf | 1984 |
| Goolf Returns | 1984 |
| Humpty Dumpty | 1984 |
| Pad Painter | 1984 |
| UDG's Machine | 1985 |
| Attack of the Alien Waters | 1985 |
| Bunker Swamp | 1985 |
| Fruit Machine | 1985 |
| Basic Print Compiler | 1986 |
| Dog Weazle - The Megaventure | 1986 |
| Goolfs Exit | 1986 |
| My Rendition of Horace to the Rescue | 2013 |
| Horace Miner | 2014 |
| Horace Miner 2 | 2014 |
| Horace to the Rescue 2 | 2014 |
| Merry Christmas From Horace | 2016 |
| Cygnus Alpha | 2020 |
| No Future | 2024 |
| No Future 128K | 2024 |
References
- ↑ "Everygamegoing – Explore Millions of Retro Games, Screenshots & Memorabilia". www.everygamegoing.com.
- ↑ "Steve A.J. Broad". LaunchBox Games Database.
- ↑ "Steve A.J. Broad". World Of Spectrum Classic.
- ↑ "World of Spectrum - Steve A.J. Broad". World of Spectrum.
- ↑ "ZXInfo - The open source ZXDB frontend". zxinfo.dk.
- ↑ "3D Pyramid". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Goolf". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Goolf Returns". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Bunker Swamp". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Goolfs Exit". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Alien Rupture". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Drum Machine". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX67xkl3l_8 William Jacob
- ↑ "Humpty Dumpty". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Pad Painter". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Crisp Snatcher". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Attack of the Alien Waters". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Fruit Machine". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "UDG's Machine". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Basic Print Compiler". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Dog Weazle - The Megaventure". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ Kelk, Jason (6 February 2014). Homebrew (132 ed.). UK: Future. p. 105. Search this book on
- ↑ "Horace to the Rescue 2". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Horace Miner". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "Horace Miner 2". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ Jones, Darran (14 August 2014). Homebrew (132 ed.). UK: Future. p. 107. Search this book on
- ↑ "A Present From Horace". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ Jones, Darran (29 December 2016). Gamers Homebrew (163 ed.). UK: Future. p. 106. Search this book on
- ↑ Jones, Darran (30 November 2016). Homebrew Heroes (162 ed.). UK: Future. p. 105. Search this book on
- ↑ Better Late Than Never: Andy Green Pixel Art. Andrews UK Limited. 5 September 2019. ISBN 978-1789821529. Search this book on
- ↑ "Яндекс". rgb.yandex.ru (in русский).
- ↑ "Introducing Cygnus Alpha - New 128k ZX Spectrum Game from Steve Broad". YouTube. 29 November 2020.
- ↑ "No Future". Spectrum Computing.
- ↑ "No Future : Homebrew from 2024 - on the ZX Spectrum 48K !! with Commentary". YouTube. 23 October 2024.
- ↑ Broad, Steve A.J. "Steve A.J. Broad". World of Spectrum..
- ↑ "Spectrum Computing - ZX Spectrum games, software and hardware". spectrumcomputing.co.uk.
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