I cited Krakout as an example how one and the same game can cause completely different reactions on different platforms, in this case, being adored on the Commodore 64 and vilified on the ZX Spectrum. With Traz, it's not much different, but it's a whole lot more understandable.
Unlike Krakout, Traz was originally just a Commodore 64 game. After it became a huge success, Cascade Games decided to port it to the Spectrum. And this port simply didn't go well. After all, the two platforms were not very similar. A sure sign of trouble was the time it took: It was well into 1989 before Traz was finally released on the ZX Spectrum. Gaming history is full of failed ports.
Platform troubles apart, what is TRAZ all about? TRAZ stands for Transformable Arcade Zone, probably an allusion to its main feature, a construction set that allows all the parameters of the game to be altered or an entirely new set of 64 levels (no more, no less) to be created. In gameplay, the main difference from other Breakout clones is that many levels have more than one bat. The game has a two-player mode; in this case, control of the opposing bats frequently swap at random. As Breakout clones go, this is not one of the easy ones.
Commodore 64
On this platform, it's generally considered one of the three top Breakout clones, along with Arkanoid and Krakout, and reviewers were—and are—enthusiastic.
- This is THE ULTIMATE breakout game, at least in Philippe Lesire's
opinion:
Trying to keep 6 mad balls on screen using one vertical and one horizontal bat is mind-boggling! Using two bats one upon another is quite compelling too. Try catching this strange spiraling ball without loosing your mind! Try it, and you'll know what I mean before the end of screen 1.
- A polished, playable game and impressive construction kit,
Jason Sabourin thinks:
Although it takes a while to become accustomed to controlling more than one bat at a time, there are enough original features in TRAZ to keep you hooked while you practise. The screens are well-designed, the ball physics are well-programmed and overall, the game has a very polished feel to it. […] In an overcrowded genre, TRAZ stands out as one of the best of it's kind.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum
Whatever the shortcomings of the Sinclair version in other departments were, the graphics were excellent, like those of Nether Earth. Let's look at the title screen first.
One of the biggest restrictions to graphics on the ZX Spectrum is that each 8×8 pixel group can only have two colors. To avoid any problems with that, the whole title graphic is made out of 8×8 pixel blocks. That's why the Traz logo looks different from the C64, which allowed 3+1 colors per block. Only in two instances does it show: with the highlights of the T and the A, however barely noticeable, and with the lightning symbol in the Gamebusters logo, which was out of the artists control.
On the Commodore 64, the only effect the title screen used was the chrome effect of the logo. This was a typical 80s style element, and it was popular on the C64, though it wasn't done very well here. For a better example, see previous year's Tetris. This artist wisely goes for 70s style elements instead which generally lend themselves better to computer graphics better, independent of platform. The simple contrast between the cold (cyan, blue) colors of the logo and central structure and the warm (red, yellow) colors of the background is a typical 70s style element, as is the combination of red and yellow, and the reuse of coloring for outlines, as in the red horizon line.
The Spectrum was limited to the eight basic colors, but each was available in a darker shade, too. However, both colors within one 8×8 pixel block had to be either light or dark. The title screen uses this to good advantage for the dropshadow under the Traz logo. MS-DOS programmers used similar effects in applications. Graphics on the Spectrum were similar to working in text mode on the PC.
Finally it is remarkable that black was only used for the outline of the Traz logo. I have never seen so little black used in any Spectrum game graphic. Not that using black is bad in any way, it just shows you didn't have to.
In the gameplay screenshot, I don't quite understand the use of black for the shades. It is too harsh, and distracts from the shape of the blocks. Especially the left-hand structure melts into its own shadow. But, and this is far more important, the ball and paddle are clearly visible. Compare The Brick and you will see what I mean.
Your Sinclair 38
Ah, so this is what happened to it. Every so often a game is announced amid much excitement, palaver and huge advertising budgets, and then it never shows. Why? What happens? The usual scenario is that the company announces the game before it has seen the finished product, and when it does get an eyeful, the game's so dreadful that everyone tries, usually without success, to forget all about it. Traz is an Arkanoid clone, originally by Cascade, and was converted from the excellent and highly successful Commodore game of the same name. On the Spec, though, it doesn't take a genius to see that it doesn't cut it. So instead of an enormous star-studded (J. Minson) launch, out it has dribbled six months later as a cheapie. It's much the worst game of its kind that I've seen, so let's say no more and let it expire with dignity.
Sinclair User 82
John Dillon of Sinclair User (issue 82, Januar 1989, page 45) was a whole lot friendlier. A fresh twist on the old Brakout theme, a little too confusing to be playable, is his summary, and he does mention the excellent graphics:
The graphics on the whole are great, even better than the megafab Arkanoid 2 and Batty screens. The backgrounds are shaded and colourful, but there's none of the old problem of not being able to make out the ball. The bricks are colourful and shaded, and of course, clash free.
