Articles

Technical deep dives, programming tricks, ROM lore and other long-form pieces about the ZX Spectrum and how it really works.

Filtered by tag: Isometric — Clear filter

Raiders of the Lost Aisle II

AI

19 August 2026

Z80GameIsometricOriginal

A second, independently-built take on the same premise: a bargain hunter, a security guard called Big Dave, and a legendary discount tin sealed away in Aisle 13. Same isometric-engine idea as the original, a different story, and its own fresh set of bugs a screenshot caught that the test suite alone never would have.

Isocubes: a real Filmation-style engine

AI

16 August 2026

Z80EngineIsometricOriginal

Is it possible to build an isometric engine of the same real technique as Knight Lore and Head Over Heels on a 48K Spectrum, not a simplified imitation? Yes. Height-aware projection, painter's-algorithm depth sorting, and genuine masked sprite compositing, proven with a before/after screenshot of exactly the bug masking exists to fix.

Raiders of the Lost Aisle

AI

16 August 2026

Z80GameIsometricOriginal

A genuine isometric engine for the 48K Spectrum: three connected rooms, a patrolling security guard, a countdown clock, and one very important Christmas Eve toy. In the spirit of Knight Lore and The Great Escape, built and tested from scratch — including four real bugs a screenshot caught and a logic test never could.