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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. Image File history File links ManicMiner. ...
A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ...
Matthew Smith (born 1966) is a British computer game programmer. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Bug-Byte Software Ltd. ...
Software Projects was the name of a computer game development company run by Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. ...
1983 1983 in games 1982 in video gaming 1984 in video gaming Notable events of 1983 in computer and video games. ...
Video games are categorized into genres based on thier gameplay. ...
A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ...
In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ...
The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. ...
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 7501 CPU, released in 1984. ...
The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ...
The BBC Microcomputer System was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers Ltd for the BBC Computer Literacy Project operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...
The Dragon 32 and Dragon 64 were home computers built in the 1980s. ...
Amiga is the name of a range of home/personal computers using the Motorola 68000 processor family, whose development started in 1982. ...
The Oric Atmos was a home computer marketed in 1984, mostly in the United Kingdom. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Sony MSX 1, Model HitBit-10-P MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. ...
The SAM Coupé was an 8-bit British home computer that was first released in late 1989. ...
Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ...
A floppy disk is a data storage device that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible (hence floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic wallet. ...
In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ...
A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ...
Joystick elements: 1. ...
A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ...
The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
Matthew Smith (born 1966) is a British computer game programmer. ...
Bug-Byte Software Ltd. ...
1983 1983 in games 1982 in video gaming 1984 in video gaming Notable events of 1983 in computer and video games. ...
Software Projects was the name of a computer game development company run by Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. ...
Miner Willy is the hero of a series of platform games for the ZX Spectrum home computer written by Matthew Smith in the 1980s. ...
Gameplay
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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Attribute clash (or colour clash) was a display artefact caused by limitations in the graphics circuitry of a number of early colour 8-bit home computers — most notably the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. ...
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 acheived 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. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Nathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom about a fictional twentysomething loathsome London media type, written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris. ...
The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Norwegian: I Dovregubbens hall) is a piece of orchestral music, Opus 23, composed by Edvard Grieg for Henrik Ibsens play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Oslo on February 24, 1876. ...
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist who composed in the romantic period. ...
Ibsen redirects here. ...
Peer Gynt is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ...
The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau op. ...
A waltz (German: , Italian: , French: , Spanish: , Catalan: ) is a ballroom and folk dance in time, done primarily in closed position. ...
Johann Strauss II The Waltz King coming to life in the Stadtpark, Vienna Johann Strauss II (in German: Johann Strauß (Sohn), Johann Strauss (son); in English also Johann Strauss the Younger, Johann Strauss Jr. ...
Plot Miner Willy, while prospecting down Surbiton way, stumbles upon an ancient, long forgotten mine-shaft. On further exploration, he finds evidence of a lost civilisation far superior to our own, which used automata to dig deep into the Earth's core to supply the essential raw materials for their advanced industry. After centuries of peace and prosperity, the civilisation was torn apart by war, and lapsed into a long dark age, abandoning their industry and machines. Nobody, however, thought to tell the mine robots to stop working, and through countless aeons they had steadily accumulated a huge stockpile of valuable metals and minerals, and Miner Willy realises that he now has the opportunity to make his fortune by finding the underground store. Surbiton is a suburban area of London situated in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. ...
 Manic Miner's first room, "Central Cavern". Image File history File links Manic Miner Screenshot. ...
Image File history File links Manic Miner Screenshot. ...
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.
The game ends when the player has been captured by an enemy or fallen heavily three times.
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. Copyright symbol Copyright is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. ...
- 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.
Manic Miner's animated loading screen The Penrose triangle Impossible Triangle sculpture, East Perth, Australia The Penrose triangle, also known as the tribar, is an impossible object. ...
Image File history File links ManicMinerLoadingScreen. ...
Image File history File links ManicMinerLoadingScreen. ...
Critical reaction Manic Miner was placed at number 25 in the Your Sinclair official top 100 Spectrum games of all time. The Your Sinclair official top 100 is a list of ZX Spectrum computer games considered to be the best ever, compiled by Stuart Campbell and published in the October 1991 to February 1992 issues of Your Sinclair. ...
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.
Bug-Byte Software Ltd. ...
Image:Arcadia game cover. ...
Donkey Kong is a video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, featuring a gorilla called Donkey Kong. ...
Distance from Core 43,300 light years Sector Moddell Number of Suns 2 Population 30 million Points of Interest Imperial Shield Generator (destroyed during Galactic Civil War) Surface water 8% Affiliation Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Ewok In the fictional universe of Star Wars, the forest moon of Endor, also known...
Star Wars is an epic science fantasy saga and fictional universe created by George Lucas during the late 1970s. ...
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]. The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. ...
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 7501 CPU, released in 1984. ...
The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ...
The BBC Microcomputer System was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers Ltd for the BBC Computer Literacy Project operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...
The Dragon 32 and Dragon 64 were home computers built in the 1980s. ...
Amiga is the name of a range of home/personal computers using the Motorola 68000 processor family, whose development started in 1982. ...
The Oric Atmos was a home computer marketed in 1984, mostly in the United Kingdom. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Sony MSX 1, Model HitBit-10-P MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. ...
The SAM Coupé was an 8-bit British home computer that was first released in late 1989. ...
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 and PMD 85. IBM PC (IBM 5150) with keyboard and green screen monochrome monitor (IBM 5151), running MS-DOS 5. ...
1. ...
Instructions on how to use the directory command. ...
The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ...
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...
ZX81 logo The Sinclair ZX81 home computer, released by Sinclair Research in 1981, was the follow up to the companys ZX80. ...
The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ...
This section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
Neo Geo Pocket Color The Neo Geo Pocket Color (or NGPC) was released in 1998 in Japan. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Orao may refer to: Soko J-22 Orao, a Yugoslav combat aircraft Orao (computer) Category: ...
The Cambridge Z88 was an A4-size, lightweight, portable Z80-based computer with a built-in combined word processing/spreadsheet/database application called Pipedream, along with several other apps/utilities, such as a Z80-version of BBC BASIC. Despite the lightness of the machine, its construction was surprisingly robust, including...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
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. Image File history File links The SAM Coupé version of Manic Miner. ...
Image File history File links The SAM Coupé version of Manic Miner. ...
Levels were designed by David Ledbury, and winners of a competition run by SAM Computers Ltd.
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.
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).
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). The Archimedes version was converted from the Dragon release. Image File history File links The Dragon 32/64 version of Manic Miner. ...
Image File history File links The Dragon 32/64 version of Manic Miner. ...
The Dragon 32 and Dragon 64 were home computers built in the 1980s. ...
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. The Cambridge Z88 was an A4-size, lightweight, portable Z80-based computer with a built-in combined word processing/spreadsheet/database application called Pipedream, along with several other apps/utilities, such as a Z80-version of BBC BASIC. Despite the lightness of the machine, its construction was surprisingly robust, including...
Sequels The sequel to Manic Miner is Jet Set Willy. Jet Set Willy is a computer game for the ZX Spectrum home computer. ...
Unofficial ZX81 version of the game 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. Image File history File links Manic_miner_central_cavern_zx81. ...
Image File history File links Manic_miner_central_cavern_zx81. ...
ZX81 logo The Sinclair ZX81 home computer, released by Sinclair Research in 1981, was the follow up to the companys ZX80. ...
See also This article gives a list of platform games, i. ...
Miner Willy is the hero of a series of platform games for the ZX Spectrum home computer written by Matthew Smith in the 1980s. ...
This article needs to be wikified. ...
Roller Coaster is a platform-based action adventure console game which contains some fairly difficult strategy and puzzle elements. ...
Miner 2049er is a computer game created by Bill Hogue and released in 1982 by Big Five Software. ...
Sir Lancelot is a computer game published in 1984 by Melbourne House for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers. ...
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