CPCRetroDev

CPCRetroDev (or #CPCRetroDev) is an annual Retro Game Creation contest that started around 2013 in Spain.

Origins

Started by a teacher from the Alicante University who happened to be part of the Amstrad Spanish retro-scene. He found that having modern students to try to code on a machine from 1984 (with very limited RAM and CPU ressources) is a challenging and excellent exercise to prepare them for a proper course in computers.

Sponsored/hosted by Alicante University, its first aim was to have student to try their hands on some antique coding machine : the Amstrad CPC and tryign to get a project into realease state, as those students are expected to work in video game industry after graduation.

This contest rewards the best and most creative developers in the retro scene, capable of making the best video games for Amstrad CPC 464. A Ceremony is organized, with livestream broadcast and many guests figures from the current or historical Video game industry and scene personnalities.

Bacause the Amstrad CPC is both a limited 8bit machine and a well rounded one : has sound, colours, straight-forward video modes, needs everything to be coded due to lack of very specialized co-CPU... and because those machines were suppsoed to be tools to learn computers (the OS is basically a coding interface/language), this may be some clever learning experience that a whole past generation of bedroom coders used to live and now they are the executives and major projects leaders of the industry.

While originally opened to student from the university, it went on to be a more open contest, with veteran sceners as well as past students and contestants trying to progress or win some of the prizes.

Each year, a huge batch of productions (of various quality standards) are realeases thanks to CPCRetroDev. The top 10 usually display proper quality on par with historically commercially release games .

One of the main rule is to stricktly adhere to Single load CPC464 specs and limitations, but some contestants would release updated/upgraded version of their game after the contest to allow for RAM extentions or Multiloading or extra content.

With time, more Prizes, rewards and categories are now distributed.

Physical copies of the productions are available each edition : a Tape Compilation of the released games can be purchased each year to run on real Tape based Amstrad CPC.

Some specific set of tools such as CPCtelera were developed to help the contestants and students.

TimeLine and Winners

2014

16 games released

1st place Winner : Super Retro Robot Rampage , by Vortex

2nd place Winner : Orc’s Dungeon, by Fracture Games

Best game coded in Basic : Auxilio Aereo , by Antonio Corpas

2015

36 games released

Space Moves by Toni Ramírez, 1st place PRO

Frogalot by CNGSoft, 2nd place PRO, best technical achievement

Top Top by Rantan Games 3rd place PRO

Regreso al CPC by Antonio Corpas Cuenca 1st Best BASIC game

Junior! by MiguelSky 2nd best BASIC game

Mas To The Past by Ántrax CPC Devilish Games – Videojuego Más Original

2016

34 games produced.

1) Outlaws

RetroBytes (9.05) PRO Winner, Dinamic Mention, Gominolas Mention, Jon Ritman Nominee

2) Hire Hare

CNGSoft (8.98) PRO Second, Jon Ritman Mention, Dinamic Nominee

3) VirusDog

CPC-Power (8.40) PRO Third

4) Dragon Attack

Bitplane Technomantes (7.26) Cátedra Santander-UA Innovative Game Development Mention, PRO Nominee, Gominolas Nominee

5) Hair-Boy

Carlos Sevila (7.09) PRO Nominee, Cátedra Santander-UA Engaging Gameplay

6) The Grenades Conquest

SubXplosion (7.01) PRO Nominee

7) Ice-Slider

EgoTrip (6.82) Gominolas Nominee

11) El Reino Del Color

Antonio Corpas (6.12) BASIC Winner

15) Firewall Wars

Navy Xicken (5.33) Dinamic Nominee

26) Fitzroy-and-the-power-wells

awergh (4.41) Jon Ritman Nominee

2017

29 games produced

1) BabasPalace

Azicuetano_McKlain (260) Best Game, Carlos Abril Mention, Gominolas Mention, RetroSpiel Mention

2) Profanation2

4Mhz (243) 2nd Best Game

3) BasketCases

CNGSoft (233) 3rd Best Game, Pablo Ariza Mention

4) CrisOddPrelude

DreaminBits (232) 4th Best Game

5) Bitume

ArnaudBouche (187) 5th Best Game

7) Raimbo

ToBee (178) Best Student Game

9) NightmareFortress

Petaflopis (159) 2nd Best Student Game

2018

41 games produced

1) Operation Alexandra

4Mhz (393) Best Game, Carlos Abril Mention, Gominolas Mention, Relevo Mention

2) Jarlac

RetroBytes (380) 2nd Best Game, Pablo Ariza Mention

3) Legend Of Steel

TOD Studios (283) 3rd Best Game

4) The Adventures Of Timothy Gunn

CNGSoft (278) 4th Best Game

6) 77 Attempts

Unknown Design (202) Best Student Game

9) The Rookie Thief

CPZenon Games (145) 2nd Best Student Game

13) Earth Defender

Carlos Perezgrin (113) Best Opera Prima Additional Mention

2019

35 games produced

1) Miss Input

Chupigames (373) Best Game, Carlos Abril Mention

2) Ludic Break The Loop

Osmobit Games (338) 2nd Best Game, Gominolas Mention

3) Epimeteo

CNGSoft (336) 3rd Best Game, Pablo Ariza Mention, Arcade Vintage Mention

4) Cobra

Carlos Perezgrin y Ricardo Oyon (323) 4th Best Game

5) Bike Masters

SILO Industries (290) Best Student Game, Best Opera Prima Additional Mention

6) Super Tongue Dino

Peanut Games (245) 2nd Best Student Game

7) Hey Sailor

Marine Developers (240) 5th Best Game

10) ManPac

TelleriumDev (203) RiDiVi Additional Mention

2020

49 games produced, only 36 qualified to the final phase.

1) The abduction of Oscar Z

Dreamin'Bits 557 - Best Game, Gominolas Mention, Pablo Ariza Mention

2) Sorcerers

SalvaKantero 357 - 2nd Best Game, Relevo Mention, Geek-net Award, IndieGameMusic Award

3) Anima

Sugar Free 351 - 3rd Best Game, Arcade Vintage Award Descargar

4) The Promotion

Bitestudios 329 - 4th Best Game Descargar

5) Fire Tyre

Cngsoft 323 - 5th Best Game

10) Karting Garden

Neon Labs 167 - Best Students Game, Blast Annual Opera Prima award

12) Raven Squad

Raven Games 161 - 2nd Best Students Game

18) Poisoned Escape

Cracktime 139 - Ready & Play award