Manic Miner

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Manic Miner

Developer(s)	Matthew Smith
Publisher(s)	Bug-Byte (1983), Software Projects (1984)
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum Mobile phone Commodore 64 Commodore 16 Amstrad CPC BBC Micro Dragon 32/64 Commodore Amiga Oric 1 Game Boy Advance MSX SAM Coupé
Release date	1983
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	Cassette Floppy disc Cartridge
Input methods	Keyboard, Joystick

Manic Miner is a classic platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 (later re-released by Software Projects). It is the first game in the Miner Willy series. The game is notable for being among the most important pioneers in platform game genre.

1 Gameplay
- 1.1 Objective
- 1.2 Version differences
2 Critical reaction
3 Trivia
4 Ports
5 Sequels
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Manic Miner's animated loading screen

At the time, its stand-out features included in-game music and sound effects, excellent playability, and colourful graphics, which were well designed for the graphical limitations of the ZX Spectrum. The Spectrum's video display allowed the background and foreground colors to be exchanged automatically without software attention and the "animated" load screen appears to swap the words Manic and Miner through clever manipulation of this feature.

A homage to this loading-screen appeared in one episode of the 2005 British sitcom Nathan Barley. On the Spectrum this was the first game with in-game music the playing of which required constant CPU attention and was thought impossible, cleverly achieved by constantly alternating CPU time between the music and the game (which accounts for the music's rhythm). The in-game music is In the Hall of the Mountain King from Edvard Grieg's music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt. The music that plays during the title screen is An der schönen Blauen Donau (popularly known as The Blue Danube), a waltz by Johann Strauß. Both pieces were selected due to their royalty-free status.

Manic Miner's first room, "Central Cavern".

[edit] Objective

In each of the twenty caverns are several flashing keys, which the player must collect before Willy's oxygen supply runs out. Once the player has collected the keys in one cavern, they must then go to the now-flashing portal, which will take them to the next cavern. The player must avoid enemies like Poisonous Pansies, Spiders, Slime, and Manic Mining Robots, which move backwards and forwards along a predefined length at various, constant speeds. Willy could also die by falling too far, so players had to time the precision of jumps and other movements to prevent collision with the enemies or such falls.

The game ends when the player has been captured by an enemy or fallen heavily three times.

[edit] Version differences

There are some differences between the Bug-Byte and Software Projects versions. Obviously the scroll-text at the start is slightly different to reflect the different copyright. However, there are three more subtle changes.

In Processing Plant, the enemy at the end of the conveyor belt is a bush in the original, whereas the Software Projects one resembles a PacMan ghost.
In Amoebatrons' Revenge, the amoebatrons in the original game look like alien octopuses, with tentacles hanging down, whereas the Software Projects ones resemble smiling beetles, with little legs up their sides.
In The Warehouse, the original game has threshers travelling up and down the vertical slots, rotating about the screen's X-axis. The Software Projects version has 'impossible triangle' sprites (i.e. the Software Projects logo) instead, which rotate about the screen's Z-axis.

[edit] Critical reaction

Manic Miner was placed at number 25 in the Your Sinclair official top 100 Spectrum games of all time.

[edit] Trivia

"Eugene's Lair" is a joke directed at another well-known Liverpool programmer, Eugene Evans, who had left Bug Byte to join Imagine Software.
"Miner Willy meets the Kong Beast" is a parody of the Donkey Kong games.
Presumably The "Endorian Forest" is from Star Wars – the enemies on this level appear to be teddy bears, similar to their Ewoks counterparts.
The cheat code "6031769" was based on a number found on Matthew Smith's driving license. This was changed to "typewriter" for the Software Projects version.

[edit] Ports

Official ports exist for the Commodore 64, Commodore 16, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Dragon 32/64, Commodore Amiga, Oric 1, Game Boy Advance, MSX, SAM Coupé and mobile phones [1].

Unofficial ports exist for the IBM PC compatibles (both Windows and DOS), Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, ZX81, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Acorn Archimedes, Orao, Z88, PMD 85 and HP48.

[edit] SAM Coupé

SAM Coupé version of Manic Miner (1992)

The SAM Coupé version, programmed by Matthew Holt, is very faithful to the original ZX Spectrum version in that it requires pixel-perfect timing. However, both graphics and audio were greatly updated. In addition to the original twenty caverns, forty additional caverns were included in this release.

Levels were designed by David Ledbury, and winners of a competition run by SAM Computers Ltd.

[edit] BBC Micro

The BBC Micro version does not have the Solar Power Generator, instead containing a completely different room called "The Meteor Shower". This has the "reflecting machines" from the Solar Power Generator, but there is no beam of light. Instead, it has meteors which descend from the top of the screen and disintegrate when they hit platforms, like the Skylabs in Skylab Landing Bay. It also has forcefields which turn on and off, and the layout is completely different.

Also, the very last screen (which is still called The Final Barrier) is complex and difficult (unlike the Spectrum version, which is considered to be fairly easy) and has a completely different layout. It also features the blinking forcefields.

[edit] Amstrad CPC

The Amstrad version was effectively the same as the Spectrum version by Software Projects, except that Eugene's Lair was renamed "Eugene Was Here," and the layout of The Final Barrier was again completely different (but is more similar to the Spectrum version than the BBC version).

[edit] Dragon 32/64

Dragon version of Manic Miner (1984)

The Dragon 32 version, programmed by Roy Coates, had two extra rooms (i.e. 22 altogether) and a cheat mode accessed by typing "PENGUIN". The Archimedes version was converted from the Dragon release.

[edit] Z88

The Z88 port has all the functionality (and cheats) of the Bug-Byte and Software Projects versions. The levels are the same and there is even some background music.

[edit] HP48

The HP48 version is somewhat limited by the low resolution screen size, scrolling the area rather than displaying the level as a whole. This makes it a very difficult port for those who haven't previously mastered another version. Otherwise it's fairly loyal to the ZX Spectrum version. Sound is somewhat different sounding and color omitted for obvious hardware reasons, but game play remains surprisingly similar despite the awkward platform.

[edit] Sequels

The sequel to Manic Miner is Jet Set Willy. In addition quite a few unofficial sequels, remakes, homages and updates have been released, even up to this day, including a ZX81 version. There is also a full remake of the game, Ultimate Manic Miner, by Igor Makovsky based on the JSW64 engine by John Elliott.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links