Stormlord (AMI)
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Stormlord is a puzzle platformer created for 8-bit home computers and extended for both the Atari ST and Amiga by Keith McMurtrie and Mark Jones. This Amiga version replaced the powerful spring-boards by Mael Dvin the great eagle and was further ported to DOS and the Genesis.
Three Amiga versions exist, which confuses many people. The VGMPF calls them as follows:
- PAL preview: The title picture shows credits and plays Title Music. All other songs are hidden on disk, but never loaded; only sound effects play. The menu permanently shows a beautiful queen at night. High scores do not exist. Time is depicted by a sandglass. The loader is buggy (at least in WinUAE), as sometimes the first level cannot be completed.
- PAL final: The title picture shows no credits, but a red Hewson logo. Title Music does not exist on disk, but all other songs play (though you have to turn In-Game Tune on), and sound effects for wind and wolf whistle were added. The menu switches between day and night, the queen is ugly, and time is depicted by the sun and the moon.
- NTSC final: Same as PAL final, except that the Hewson logo is black (until fade out) and the Stormlord shout clicks at the end. Both are developer bugs.
Contents
Screenshots
Music
In October 1990 a demoscene magazine quoted Maniacs of Noise co-founder Charles Deenen:
Stormlord (C64) was scored by MoN members Johannes Bjerregaard († 2022) and Jeroen Tel. The Amiga soundtrack adds a unique Hiscore Tune. What indeed is not "so good" is that some organ chords click, one of them is too loud, and some parts of Title Tune are simpler.
Unfortunately, the Amiga credits are very unclear. Many sites cite different credits, but no sources, and are partially known or suspected to miscredit (including ExoticA and the main menus of Maniacs of Noise Musicpack as released by crackers).
Regarding the actual game, the Amiga preview title picture credits Jochen Hippel, which is doubtful. In all Amiga versions, the menu credits MoN, and the music drivers are closest to Bjerregaard's C64 drivers rather than anyone else's. The ST menu credits Hippel, and the drivers are Hippel's. The Amiga and ST arrangements of Title Music are completely different, and the first Amiga bass sample is from the same source as Tel's C64 one. Hippel is not known to ever have been in touch with MoN, and the manuals credit MoN and Hippel separately.
A VGMPF contributor e-mailed Deenen and Hippel on September 27, 2022. Deenen tried to answer everything, but did not sound definite after 30 years and also could not identify the voices (except that the Amiga shout is not Tel). Deenen guesses that Bjerregaard and he might have done the Amiga music together, and that Hiscore Tune might be Bjerregaard's (which sounds like him, too). Hippel's Hotmail address still exists (since the mail did not bounce), but it is unknown if he still logs in at all. Tel could still be asked.
It is more likely (though unconfirmed) that the Amiga preview title picture might have been rushly copied from an ST work-in-progress, without correcting the audio credit. McMurtrie and Jones could be asked.
Recording
All songs were recorded from:
- both PAL releases in WinUAE 4.4.0 with NTSC off,
- the NTSC release in WinUAE 4.4.0 with NTSC on,
Stereo separation at 100% and Audio filter at Emulated (A500), as per real Amigas of the day.
| # | Title | Composer | Arranger | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Title Music | Jeroen Tel | Unknown | 3:14 | Download | |
| 102 | Title Tune | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 6:07 | Download | |
| 103 | Get Ready | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 0:02 | Download | |
| 104 | In-Game Tune | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 8:37 | Download | |
| 105 | G.O Jingle | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 0:08 | Download | |
| 106 | Hiscore Tune | Unknown | Unknown | 2:43 | Download |
| # | Title | Composer | Arranger | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202 | Title Tune | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 5:08 | Download | |
| 203 | Get Ready | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 0:02 | Download | |
| 204 | In-Game Tune | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 7:13 | Download | |
| 205 | G.O Jingle | Johannes Bjerregaard | Unknown | 0:06 | Download | |
| 206 | Hiscore Tune | Unknown | Unknown | 2:18 | Download |
(Source except Hiscore Tune: Stormlord (C64).)
Credits
- Ripper: ExoticA (original rips), Professor Chaos (PAL final samples)
- Recorder: Professor Chaos
- Game Credits:
- Music by (manual): Unknown credited as The Maniacs of Noise
- sound (preview title picture): Unknown credited as jochen hippel.
- ! music and fx! (preview menu): Unknown credited as maniacs of noise
- !audio! !atmosphere! (final menu): Unknown credited as !maniacs! !of! !noise!
- SOUNDEFFECTS by: Charles Deenen credited as MANIACS of NOISE/CD
- Not Credited Composer: Jeroen Tel
- Not Credited Composer: Johannes Bjerregaard
- Not Credited Composer: Unknown
- Not Credited Arranger: Unknown
- Not Credited Vocalist: Unknown
- Not Credited Voice Actor (Stormlord): Unknown
- Not Credited Voice Actor (worm): Unknown
- Not Credited Programmer: Unknown
(Sources: manual, preview title picture, preview menu, final menu, MoN's demo. Source for composers: Stormlord (C64).)
Game Rip
Audio Devices
All three versions use the computer's built-in Paula chip. On NTSC Amigas, everything plays 20% faster and 1% higher.
The LED filter is turned off when music plays, and on when sound effects play. On Title Music, you can toggle the filter by pressing the right mouse button (or 2nd joystick button) in port 1.
On the final menu, you can toggle between sound effects (default) and In-Game Tune by pressing the M key. Change is not immediately seen; you have to wait till the current choice scrolls up.
Releases
The first release is the preview. Several screenshots were printed in Génération 4 No15. Whether it was leaked or officially published is unconfirmed.
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Links
- mobygames.com/game/amiga/stormlord - MobyGames.
- mobygames.com/game/amiga/cecco-collection_ - MobyGames on Cecco Collection.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/amiga/936382-stormlord - GameFAQs.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/amiga/675289-cecco-collection - GameFAQs on Cecco Collection.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/amiga/675920-hits-for-six-volume-6 - GameFAQs on Hits for Six Volume Six.
| Stormlord | |
| Stormlord |  •  •  •  •  •  • 
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| Deliverance: Stormlord II | • •
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| Deliverance | • • 
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| Notable Songs | Title Tune |
| Notable Personnel | Maniacs of Noise |
| Notable Companies | Hewson Consultants |
- Games Released In 1989
- Games Developed By Hewson Consultants
- No Amazon
- Games
- Stormlord (AMI)
- Games By Unknown
- Games By Charles Deenen
- Games By Jeroen Tel
- Games By Johannes Bjerregaard
- Games That Use JT
- Games Released In EU
- Games With Missing Box Art
- Amiga Games
- Games Published By Unknown
- Games Published By Hewson Consultants
- Games Released In USA
- Games Published By Cinemaware
- Games Published By Prism Leisure Corporation
