Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
      using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines

 

VI. Other game engines

A. The original Manic Miner recreated/modified/extended using other game engines

 

1. Manic Miner - Norman Sword's version

Author: Norman Sword

Year: 2017

Language: English

 

Norman Sword has created a version of Manic Miner with the core code edited extensively, which features both the Bug-Byte and the Software Projects variants of the game and numerous novel elements.

The game engine is "a source code rewrite from the first byte to the last". All data was left intact from #B000 onwards, but is modified at run time to swap between the Bug-Byte and the Software Projects version of MM.

The game runs over 20% faster than the original. The player can change their style of jumping and movement. There are a number of sound effects which are not present in the original (related to e.g. item collection, Skylabs landing and the solar beam touching Willy). There are special effects when Willy looses a life. A merge ink effect rather than overwrite happens when Willy passes near a platform. The game displays various status icons, such as the tune, keys and cheats.

The cheat menu allows the player to choose immortality (which in fact means that they are not affected by the guardians or Fire cells at all), move from cavern to cavern instantly and rebuild platforms.

The game features modifications to the title screen and the Game Over screen as well as some additional non-playable screens (Game completion screen, Sprite Easter egg screen, Manic Miner Easter egg screen and Credits screen).

The above list is not exhaustive. There are various other changes in relation to the original as well.

The game was released in September 2017.

 

Number of rooms: 20

Highest documented score without using any cheats:

 

Bug-Byte version

- upon reaching the swordfish sign: 37,965 points;

- upon first re-entry into the first cavern: 39,240 points.

 

Software Projects version

- upon reaching the swordfish sign: 37,974 points;

- upon first re-entry into the first cavern: 39,250 points.

 

 

Download links

 

homepage

Homepage

The game's homepage on JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community (the discussion is here)

   

download

Original release

Game file in TAP format

   

directdownload

Direct game download

Game file in TAP and TZX format

   

spectrumcomputing

Spectrum Computing

The game's page on Spectrum Computing

   

jswcentralspecial

JSW Central

RZX walkthrough of the game showing the best documented completion time

   

rzxarchive

RZX Archive

RZX walkthrough of the game on the RZX Archive (showing a completion of the game which is inferior to the best publicly available recording)

 

 

Video

 

A walkthrough of the game on the JSW Central YouTube channel

 

 

Screenshot gallery

 

The playable area of the screens looks the same as in the Bug-Byte or Software Projects variants of the original, respectively. The screenshots below show only the new elements present in the Norman Sword version.

 

Title screen - BB version

 

mmnormans_title_bb

 

Title screen - SP version

 

mmnormans_title_sp

 

Status icons

 

mmnormans_icons

 

Victory screen

 

mmnormans_victory_a

 

mmnormans_victory_b

 

Intermission and credits screens

 

mmnormans_intermission_a

 

mmnormans_intermission_b

 

mmnormans_credits

 

Loss-of-life effects and messages

 

mmnormans_collision_nasty_1

 

mmnormans_collision_nasty_2

 

mmnormans_collision_guard_h

 

mmnormans_collision_guard_v

 

mmnormans_collision_fall

 

mmnormans_collision_eugene

 

mmnormans_collision_kong

 

mmnormans_collision_skylab

 

mmnormans_no-air

 

Game Over screens

 

mmnormans_kia_1

 

mmnormans_kia_2

 

mmnormans_kia_3

 

mmnormans_kia_4