Hafoc Tor
A downloadable ZX Spectrum game
Hafoc Tor is a first-person role-playing adventure game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and is the sequel to Wycheweald. It's a whole new campaign with an improved engine, new combat options and a more open world with non-linear objectives.
It's designed to run on 48K and 128K machines, with the detected 48K mode having less graphics and no music.
Features
- Scrolling textured 3D world and sprites
- Animated turn-based combat
- Auto-map and mini-map
Quick-controls
The game is completely controlled via keyboard and the keys cannot be redefined.
There are alternatives to using WASD for directional movement: the cursor keys are a great option on the ZX Spectrum Next (and they are also usuable via the Cursor joystick interface) as they were for Wycheweald. The J and K keys are now also available as alternative left/right keys for two handed control.
You can hold down the movement keys to keep moving in the same direction.
| Action | Key | Alt Key | Alt Alt Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | W | Cursor Up | |
| Left | A | J | Cursor Left |
| Right | D | K | Cursor Right |
| Back | S | Cursor Down | |
| Interact | E | Space | 0 (zero) |
| Light (need the lamp) | L | ||
| Map | M | ||
| Position Change | P | ||
| Options Menu | O | ||
| Inventory Menu | I | ||
| Toggle Music | V | ||
| Toggle ULA+ (don't get excited) | C |
Character stats are viewed by pressing the numeric key of their position (1-4) when not in combat. From here you can swap weapons and unlock abilities in the skills menu.
All menus are controlled using numeric keys (0-9).
Combat is menu driven.
Over-clocking
If you are using a ZX Spectrum Next or similar that can run software over-clocked you can adjust the BEEPer sound effect speed to match the CPU speed.
Over-clocking can compensate for setting the movement rendering speed to a finer level (to render more frames during movement) without too much slow-down, though you may want to adjust the text speed to be slower so you can keep up with combat.
Some emulators have a speed multiplier option which is not exactly the same as over-clocking: this also multiplies the v-blank rate which will cause music and some animations to run too fast.
Read the fine manual
There is a manual included with the game in PDF and text format.
This is one of those games where reading the manual is important to understand how to play.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Comments
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Hello, the game looks promising, techniclaly brilliant, and I really want to like it but I have some issues with it. I hope this comes across as constructive criticism.
1) The music is very short and annoying, had to turn it off after a couple minutes it was driving me crazy. The dialog beeper sound is very annoying as well, please make it more subtle. An option to turn it off entirely would be very appreciated.
2) There are things I don’t understand. For example, sometimes I can’t move forward; the road ahead is clear, but the character won’t move. If I press the spacebar, it unlocks. I reckon those are junctions between map areas, but there really should be some prompt on screen to inform the user what they are expected to do...
3) During the first night, I found myself stuck. I pressed the spacebar and suddenly entered a battle against... who knows what. Only after setting up my turns did I realize it was a ghost, because the dialog told me so. That’s not okay... The fight with the ghost is really bad. It moves around without any visual cues (yes there is the hit effect, but when it moves you don't know where at first), and I have to hit it blindly, like in the game Battleship. That’s pretty cheap and awful IMHO...
4) I actually feel lost as soon as the game begins, with no clear objective or place to go. I start wondering and meet enemies and people, ok, but then the night comes and the ìdamn ghosts started pestering me and I quit the game mid fight. I don't know, the game feels buggy or very user unfriendly
Hi!
1. The music is the best I can manage I'm afraid :) It's why there is an option to turn it off.
As for the dialogue beeping, that's becoming a common criticism. It really didn't sound that loud or annoying to me, but I suspect it's a difference in hardware and emulation. I'll see if I can address it some time in the future.
2. When in doubt, hit the interact key. Exploration and experimentation are important! Alas, trying to fit everything in 48K means I have little to no space left for additional text.
3. It seems you wandered right into one of the tougher sections of the game first. There is a way to make the ghosts visible if you can find it, but it is possible to solve the area without it. If something seems too tough, it may be best to leave it for later or to find a different way to approach it. It's not the only part of the game that needs to be 'solved'.
4. My previous game was a bit linear with its objectives, so I thought this time I'd let the player discover things on their own.
The village to the west of the starting location is probably the best place to start. The ghosts are only found on the haunted moors to the east and only come out at night.
thank you
Excellent role-playing game to Spectrum, thank you. I included it in my new "Gameplay of New ZX Spectrum games from December 2024" video along with the other recently released ZX Spectrum games.
Nice! I'll check it out, thanks.
Thanks for wonderful game! I would need some hints. :)
1) How to kill the beast? The beast always escapes with HP about 50.
2) Does it only make sense to visit the mine with a lamp?
3) I've got the purse, but I'm running out of other quests.
Hi! Without giving too much away:
1) The beast needs to be chased down in a single night. It can't run away the 5th time you fight it in one night.
2) The lamp is in the mine, you have to find your way through the dark to get it.
3) All the items you can get are optional side objectives which may help you. There are 4 main objectives before the finale (which will be near the start). Each person you meet who will join the party has one, and there another given by a shepherd where you must return stolen goods to their graves.
Hope that helps!
Perfect! The beast killed, the mine purged. Now I have another problem. I have played all the game in night for Werewulf. And it is probably impossible with Raedwulf (HP40) to defeat Werewulf (HP160).
The temptation to use power is great :D
All is not lost though: before talking to Ilmari to begin the finale all the ambushes in the game will reset every night. Since the max level is 8 it’ll be possible to grind Raedwulf up to a level playing field. The mine is probably the best place to grind up levels this way. Good luck!
Well, I have used POKE :). But anyway, I'll go through the game again.
I think I am still missing something. I got the pouch, but I don't know what it's good for. And in your animated GIF can I see some red stone? Where it can be obtained?
POKE is much faster :)
The pouch of monkshood keeps the werewulf from going wild and attacking the party (the shepherd said it keeps them at bay).
The stone is in the NW corner of the forest inside the old hut, it glows in the dark near ghosts and reveals them. It's not necessary to get but may have helped navigate the haunted moors. A villager should drop a hint about it.
I appreciate that you not only improved from Wychewald, but continue to push the boundaries of the system.
Many coders simply seek to make their own spin on a ZX single-screen platformer. What such communities really need is someone who wants to show what the system can really do.
Thanks! :D
Congratulations on this brilliant work.
In my opinion, this second part improves Wychewald in every way.
The effect of the lantern light on the stage is simply brilliant and corrects the annoying effect of the first part.
The passage of time indicated by the movement of the sun on the horizon as the day goes by, or of the moon, as well as its different phases, which tells us when Raedwulf will become a Werewolf, and even when he will be able to transform at will.
Now the sets are even more beautiful and varied, with those images of the horizon with the sun and the moon in continuous movement and progression, the stone walls, the boxes, the forest, grass, the lake...
More and more varied missions, secondary missions...
On a technical level, the evolution of the engine is noticeable, now moving much faster than the first part, giving more dynamism to the game. In this regard, and if you allow me, I have a suggestion for the next version: I noticed that in Wycheweald, the action window was updated on the screen first and then the minimap, and yet in this second part it is the other way around.
I don't know if the way you have the code organized it would be very complicated to update the minimap afterwards, since when a wall is shown on the screen, that is, when it has to show an image that occupies the entire window, it slows down a bit, this is especially annoying since there are many phases of the game in which you move looking directly at the minimap, which makes you press the next key when you reach a wall while the scenery key has not yet been shown, so that this last key is not captured by the game, while you have already pressed the next one, which causes errors in the handling that would not happen if the minimap were updated later.
In short, the evolution at all levels is spectacular and once I have managed to finish the game and live the whole adventure, I can say that the game is a gem and I want to encourage you to continue developing games of this niche genre such as the RPG, since unfortunately, there are not many developers who are interested in doing so. And fans of the genre, like me, are very hungry!
Thank you very much for this game, which has been a great Christmas gift!
Thanks for the kind words!
I was worried making a sequel would be seen as too much of the same, but I tried to upgrade and introduce new features to every aspect.
Despite speeding up the graphics code it's still "fillrate" limited: the more pixels I have to update per frame, the slower it takes to draw. I didn't notice the minimap updating a frame earlier than the view, I guess I got used to it :) I'll keep it in mind for future.
Thank you for your contributions to the Spectrum RPG scene too!
Absolutely terrific! Wycheweald is brillant, I very much enjoyed it, I recorded it on cassette and tried it on my trusty old ZX Spectrum +2 and it felt utterly glorious. This one I'll play on The Spectrum. I'm astonished by how these games push the limits of the hardware and bring something new on the table at the same time. Really stunning work. And I love, how the sun indicates the time of the day - a seemingly small, yet very atmospheric detail. Brillant! Are there any plans to sell the games physically? I'd definitely purchase a cassette version.
Thanks! I put a lot of work into them :)
I'd like to do a physical release, but I have no plans at the moment.
Amazing work! 😮
May I suggest just one little thing? A less computer beepy and more "delicate" and immersive sound for dialogues... a very subtle "ticky" sound, less electronic and with shorter notes
Thanks!
It's the best I could get the beeper to do, but it could probably be improved upon.
I bought the first episode and I'm buying the second one, I really appreciate your work.
Thanks so much!
YES YES YES
Dude the Zx spectrum is as old as my dad! I love drpgs and love the obscure ones at that (thanks SMT), discovering Wycheweald sent me on such a rabbit hole!
Thanks! I'm a fan of the genre myself ;)
Awesome game!
Thanks!