
SQIJ 2018 for arcade hardware
v1.1 - May 5th, 2018
Coded by Sokurah - aka. Sren Borgquist.
Visit Tardis Remakes  @ www.tardis.dk

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SQIJ 2018 (Arcade version) is an action game for the Taito L System arcade hardware.
It's a maze game, programmed in pure Z80 assembler, with 64 screens to explore.

Sqij has an interesting story. It wasoriginally released for the C64 in 1986.
It also recieved an official "port" for the ZX Spectrum in 1987, but that version
has famously been called "the worst Spectrum game ever", so I've taken it upon myself
to remake the C64 version for the ZX Spectrum and arcade hardware. SQIJ lives again, LOL.
Read more about the original Spectrum version at the bottom of this file.

So what is Sqij? Well, at its feathery heart the game is a multi-screen maze game.
You play as Sqij - a bird tasked with collecting the lost 6 pieces of a tree
- and bringing them to a holy cave where it can grow. The caverns are full of nasties
you'll have to dispose of, and you'll also have to find keys to unlock barriers that
block parts of the caves.

I coded the Spectrum version and then decided to port it to Taito's L System arcade
hardware a few months later. Well, not really "port" - this version has been completely
rewritten from scratch - with just the data reused. Most people will probably have to
run this through the MAME emulator but it can also be burned onto EPROMS  or EEPROMS
 and run on an actual JAMMA arcade cabinet - providing you have the right hardware.


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Gameplay description:
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You're Sqij - a bird tasked with finding and collecting the six lost pieces of a
holy tree - and bringing them to asacred cavewhere it can grow. The caverns are full
of nasties you'll have to dispose of, and you'll also have to find keys to unlock
barriers that block parts of the caves. The keys won'tlook like keys - some of the
inhabitants of the caves will give them to you. Can you find them?

I've added a difficulty option in this version.
HARD is the normal mode of play, but if you chose EASY mode then hitting the 
landscape won't drain your energy.


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Installation:
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Place the 'plotting.zip' file in your ROMS folder under your MAME installation folder
(you dont have to unpack it ... but you can also unpack the files into a Plotting folder).
Notice that the file is called plotting.zip because it will replace that game in MAME.
You will also have to start the game from the commandprompt with mame plotting as trying
to run the game from the GUI will throw up an error. Alternatively, I'm sure it'll be
included in HBMAME (HomeBrewMAME).


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Controls:
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Use the joystick and the buttons mentioned on the screen. As this is an arcade game remember
to "insert coin" before you can play.


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Legal Blurb:
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This game is FREEWARE and must remain freeware.
I would also ask that the game will only be available from this website.


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Copyright:
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Idea and design of original C64 game:Jason Kendall
Code bySren Borgquist - aka. Sokurah.
Graphics by Lobo.
Music by Spacefractal.


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Extra info.
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The original Spectrum game from 1987 has, by many many people,
been called "the worst Spectrum game ever" ... and it's not a totally unfounded
accusation, as the game was completely unplayable when it was released. I could
write a long story about why the original game was so bad, buton the website
you can find several links that will point you to pages that will explain its
history in more detail.

I'm not really sure how I got the idea to remake it, but here it is,complete
with the exact same map and item positions as the C64 version. Perhaps not a
mega-game, but a fun little project to make anyway, so now the game is not
only available on the C64 and the Spectrum, but also on arcade hardware.
Amazeballs :) Enjoy.
