A short entry now for a title highlighted to us by Baracuda and which he had compiled as part of a James Hastings-Trew slideshow in 2023.
James had produced a loading screen for a title called The Stock Exchange, which was due out in 1986 by Telegame Software. The game itself was created (and assumed programmed) by a Tom Conroy.
The subject of the game is fairly self explanatory, and no doubt it would have been a mostly text-based game with various options to play the stock exchange, with some small graphical elements created by James.
Contributor Scott Slade explains that the game was released, but was a BBS specific title:
“It was definitely released. but it wasn’t a game in a traditional sense. it was actually a game that was also a BBS program that ran completely off of the 64 and a single 1541 disc drive. I know this because I bought this off of him and ran my own BBS from this software.
It was a game that I would start at the beginning of the month and all these subscribers would start out with a set amount of money and the game would last a month and would have a theme like pop companies or tech companies. and you could create six of them and allow people to invest their money when they were logged in and whoever had the most money at the end of the month was the winner that month.
It was a simple game and it also had a simple message board. So it was a game, but not one that you would just buy and plug in and play. it was meant for people that wanted to run their own BBS based on this software.”
The question now is whether the code can be preserved in some shape or form!
The two did release a game called Tele-Chess under the label. There was also another unreleased title a year later called Raceday by the same duo. Hopefully we’ll get hold of James or Tom in the near future to find out more and crucially see if anything can be saved.
Contributions: Baracuda, Scott Slade
Actually, I can give you some information about this game. it was definitely released. but it wasn’t a game in a traditional sense. it was actually a game that was also a BBS program that ran completely off of the 64 and a single 1541 disc drive. I know this because I bought this off of him and ran my own BBS from this software. it was a game that I would start at the beginning of the month and all these subscribers would start out with a set amount of money and the game would last a month and would have a theme like pop companies or tech companies. and you could create six of them and allow people to invest their money when they were logged in and whoever had the most money at the end of the month was the winner that month. it was a simple game and it also had a simple message board. So it was a game, but not one that you would just buy and plug in and play. it was meant for people that wanted to run their own BBS based on this software.
Thank you very much for confirming more details about this title Scott. Is there any chance you may still have something of it, or is it now long gone?
Also – do you know anything about the other titles that Tom did – namely “Raceday”? https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/raceday/