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Help Marvin -zx spectrum emulator

jaybo1973

Android Expert
Aug 27, 2010
867
15
Nottinghamshire
Hi all

A bit of shot in the dark is this; has anyone used marvin? Its a top app for the old boys like me who played video games in the 80s when it was geeky :)

I have it installed it got it running, opened a game rom. I just cant start a game. There is no way of scrolling down to select joystick and then start a game. the touch screen doesn not work to select game options.

Cheers
 
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Yep, I've used it. I found that I needed to start off in portrait mode so that the image of the old rubber key speccy is displayed. This works on the touch screen, so press 'S' to start or whatever on the spectrum keyboard. You may need to select the joystick option etc from this same screen. Once the game is running flip back to landscape mode and the game goes full screen and the joystick is displayed. Chuckie Egg and Manic Miner here I come!
 
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Nice one mate.

I had tried this but it didnt work on spellbound. Its because you have to select using up and down arrows which the rubber key speccy doesnt have, there must be a way though. Just tried another games where you choose using number keys and it works :)

Do you know how to select the cursers? If I could get down to 48k basic, I feel sure it will let you program :)
 
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It's a bit hit and miss but if you hold down caps shift and use the number keys (8 and 9 iirc) you can select from the opening menu (the one that lists 128k mode, calculator, 48k mode etc). You can then indeed program some basic from there, but it's quite as painful exercise!

Nice one mate. This does indeed work on the opening seen :) not on spellbound though :(
 
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@jaybo1973
Which rom of spellbound are you trying to use? If you download the 48k rom and load it in 48k mode you can press 'b' for kempston (the hand pioneer doesn't move but it flashes a different colour) and then 'g' to play game, just tried it and it worked ok for me.

I didn't remember the game until I saw it playing and then it all came back to me!
 
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@jaybo1973
Which rom of spellbound are you trying to use? If you download the 48k rom and load it in 48k mode you can press 'b' for kempston (the hand pioneer doesn't move but it flashes a different colour) and then 'g' to play game, just tried it and it worked ok for me.

I didn't remember the game until I saw it playing and then it all came back to me!

Cheers mate. I had the 128 version which does not let you pick by using letters. Great memories. Was my fav game as a kid
 
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I've just joined the world of android getting an Samsung s5 after having Iphones for 6 years first thing I did was find a speccy emulator and marvin is the one everyone seems to love, Well then what am I doing wrong all I get Is the rubber keyboard and that's it I can't get a menu up or anything I've tried swiping the screen etc pressing buttons on rubber keyboard but for the life of me I can't get a menu up or anything, is my phone faulty? Am I thick? am I stuck in iPhone mode or what? Please help!
 
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