Dragon 32 Universe

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YAKZEE (Automata)

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I find in Dragon 32 Universe?

Dragon 32 Universe is a (currently growing) library of everything connected with the Dragon 32 (and Dragon 64) microcomputers, which were marketed in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. The site's current focus is preserving all software for the Dragon, hence this web site currently showcases Plata Card and a library of all of the professional and public domain releases which we have so far tracked down, including .CAS (emulated tape) files, .WAV (raw tape audio) files and .VDK (emulated disk) files. All software is currently sorted by the software house that originally supplied it. You will find information on its 'Game Type', a link to its instructions, cover art, inlay designs, reviews, screenshots and, in some cases, game help, reviews and solutions.

How I play games on an emulated Dragon 32?

Never fear if you never owned a Dragon 32 back in the day, or if the idea of hooking up a retro computer to your television fills you with dread. All you need is the awesome Xroar emulator. This runs in a window on your computer, and emulates a Dragon microcomputer (and quite a few other microcomputers too!). Now it's not the most user-friendly emulator that there ever was so we have produced an Idiot's Guide to getting it to work.

Where can I buy software for the Dragon 32?

This site is a dynamic site, and it currently offers you the opportunity to buy second-hand copy of the games that it features. It is expected that, in building it, lots of duplicate titles will be acquired. A lot of sellers who list Dragon items on eBay, for example, sell whole boxes of stuff - which our site may buy just to be able to upload the information about a single game. After we've "archived" it, it will become available for any of you to buy - so if you suspect it's us bidding on eBay, let us get hold of it and share it with the world rather than forcing the price up sky-high! You'll be able to track it down a few weeks later on our site anyway.

As you navigate around the site, you will find all games that we currently have in stock will inform you that they are available for purchase. If you wish to buy any of them, click on the button and they will be added to a shopping cart and you will be able to make payment with PayPal. The terms and conditions that apply to any sales of these old tapes and discs can be read here, and you will be required to accept them if you wish to order anything.

Where can I sell software for the Dragon 32?

If you've got any software (disk- or tape-based) for the Dragon 32 that you can see we are missing "elements" of (i.e. instructions, cover scan, screenshots, etc) then we are probably interested in getting hold of it, so why not contact us so we can make you an offer. If we have already got it, then you could try auctioning it on eBay. eBay is also a good source of information in relation to what Dragon 32 games are currently worth.

How can I check what's new since the last time I visited?

Dragon 32 Universe is a new site and it is expected that this initial period will be one of phenomeneonal growth. In relation to software at least, we have started by finding the 'best' version of every element we could find out there. The next period will be one of consolidation, as we begin text- and video-reviewing the games, promoting the site and trying to attract visitors. Rest assured that any and all new additions worth seeing will be splashed appropriately around the opening pages.

What formats are supported by this web site?

Downloads from this web site are currently not 'zipped', clicking on a link labelled CAS or DSK will download a emulated Dragon cassette or disk file. Clicking on a link labelled WAV will download (and quite possibly begin to play) a sampled WAV file of a Dragon cassette. The vast majority of downloads currently available are CAS files.

I've downloaded broken Dragon software before - How reliable are your downloads?

We know how incredibly frustrating it is to search for a Dragon game out there on the Internet, find it, download it and then find it doesn't work. WAV files, although big in size, do tend to be very reliable. However, there are hundreds of CAS and DSK files out there that do not work at all. The good news is that we have filtered out these unworking files and so you will only find working CAS and DSK files on our site. The bad news is that very many rare games - which had actually already presumably been converted to CAS format by some kind souls - are not available either here *or* elsewhere. If we've got it, it will work. If we haven't got it, you won't find a working version of it on any other site.

Uh, how do I load in the games and play them?

To load a cassette game, written in Dragon Basic, type CLOAD and press ENTER. To load a cassette game, written in Machine Code, type CLOADM and press ENTER. Note that some games have more complicated loading instructions. If in doubt, refer to the section Loading which appears at the very bottom of every instructional page for each game.

Why would I buy the DVD when everything on the site is free at the moment anyway?

We've got a whole section persuading you to buy the DVD but the reason we need you to buy a DVD is really to show support for the building of Dragon 32 Universe. We're capable of great things - and if you don't believe us, then just check out our other retro gaming sites! - but we're constantly working on a number of projects so Dragon 32 Universe has to vy for our attention. Spending lots of money to build an electronic museum for purely altruistic reasons is less tempting than if it, even only occasionally, generates an order or two.

Why do some images include dragonwiki.com and rfgeneration.com identifiers?

These sites, and some others, have marked their images to prevent sites (like ours!) from downloading them and reusing them without the proper accreditation. There are only a very, very small number of them on our site and we will replace them with our own scanned versions just as soon as we can get hold of our own copy of the individual game. At the moment about 80% of the images on Dragon 32 Universe are from our own cassettes and disks that we have sourced all on our own (They are in fact also watermarked, but the mark can only be seen with special software!).