Amiga, Commodore and creativity

[piydek]

Any benefits to a Raspberry with amibian over just setting up WinUAE on your PC?

Never used WinUAE on PC (I've used the Amiga Forever distro on my PC), but I don't think there would be any benefits. For my setup/living habits it just works having RPI in my living room hooked up to a TV set. I also like having a dedicated Amiga setup with amibian on a dedicated SD card (I also have another SD card with retropie for SNES/Megadrive/NeoGeo/PSX/basic Amiga games emulation/Kodi).

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

I had one of these in my collection before, a PC-10, but it was dead due to faulty powersupply that i never got to fix, had i fixed it i would prob have kept it as a Retrogaming PC, like the 486 i have now.

 

[Luzur]

H.E.R.O 68k - HOT NEWS as this classic game is coming to the Amiga as a remake!



Sometime back we mentioned the classic game of H.E.R.O, which was first released way back in the 1980's for the Atari 800/2600, ColecoVision, C64, C128, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Was not only being overhauled for the C64 but was also coming to modern systems as an inspired game called 'Bobby Bombastic'. Well if you're still waiting for those games or have an Amiga, you'll be pleased to learn Alpha One is working an Amiga version of H.E.R.O developed using ASM and can be viewed below running on an Amiga 500.

Source

http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/06/hero-68k-hot-news-as-this-classic-game.html

A work in progress Mario clone for the Commodore Amiga



This year so far could almost be classed as the year of the Mario, as it seems there has been no let up in that famous plumber either appearing on different systems as ports, fan games on the PC, or even a complete conversion to the C64 with Super Mario Bros by ZeroPaige. Well it seems we are not done with that classic game just yet, as thanks to a heads up by Saberman, he's told us of a work in progress Mario clone for the amiga 500 and above which looks to be created by Magnus T.



Although not much is known about this Mario clone seeing as we've only just found out about it today, but according to the creator who replied to a number of comments on Youtube. He has said the game will hopefully work on all kinds of Amiga computers, and the infinite scroll engine allows the game to scroll forever without consuming more chip memory than the screen occupies. And that's pretty much all we know so far, so keep watching this space...

http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/06/a-work-in-progress-mario-clone-for.html

 

[Luzur]

The Shadows of Sergoth - Superb work in progress Amiga Dungeon Crawler looks totally different!



If you have an Amstrad near by, chances are you would've come across the excellent homebrew Dungeon Crawler ' The Shadows of Sergoth '; a game which blew many of us away with fast coded graphics, deadly monsters and cool loot to find throughout. Well if you don't have an Amstrad but instead an Amiga, you will be pleased to know the previously announced work in progress Amiga version, has just had a graphical overhaul thanks to a new team member!




Double Sided Games@DSidedGames

Update on Shadows of Sergoth, our upcoming #dungeoncrawler for the Commodore Amiga! @saulc12 moved to other projects (Winterdane), and @10shu has taken over the whole graphics job for the game. We took that opportunity to reboot, and here's a first peek at the new graphics


The Shadows of Sergoth was announced as being ported over to the Amiga by Colin Vella, Graphics and Sound by Saul Cross and publishing by Double Sided Games with full support of the original Amstrad team. What has changed now however, is Saul Cross is no longer doing the graphics(image), as he has now moved over to the Winterdane project, and TenShu has taken over the whole graphics job for the game with the new look which can be seen in the animated twitter gif above.

Links :1) Twitter 2) Amstrad Version

http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/06/the-shadows-of-sergoth-superb-work-in.html

 

[hitfan]

The problem with this kind of game is that you never know much of its actual reputation and ratings go to the fact it is retro in itself. Why would anyone play this, rather than an unplayed episode of Magic Candle or a Gold Box SSI is what I want to know.

It caters to a crowd with no unplayed magic candle or goldbox games, so a few hundreds alive at best... People dont have such fond memories of the vic 20 compare to c64 or amiga considerably more impressive machines in my opinion . So this kind of games is just an hobby thing and only real purpose is make the devs feel younger again i think.

Thought many of these games are sold so i don't think there is just some hobby purposes, but yeah, retro computers get a ton of games, particularly the ZX Spectrum, though there are also some free homebrew games here and there, still, i am pretty sure i have seen recent C64 games for sale on Itch.Io where they gave you roms to play the games.

Though it reminds me of one interview i read somewhere where they asked old programmers for the ZX Spectrum if they played homebrew games and what they thought about them, and i think most of them said they didn't and one was genuinely suprised and asked out loud why the hell were people learning to code for an old system when they could be making games for modern PC's and get a much bigger audience.

My guess is that it's a mix of a hobby, love for the original system, and since they like the games for that system, they know what fellow fans love and can make games that the system's fans will gladly pay for even if the audience market isn't the biggest.

I'm the creator of Realms of Quest V for the VIC-20. My motivation is a lot of the things that you all mention. I suppose that I could make my games for the PC and have a bigger audience, but I already how the VIC-20 works almost inside and out. I will say this in defense of retrogame programming: the old systems limitations provide a structure to work with. And the games that I make are playable on modern systems with emulation. And since the ESC key on the PC keyboard maps to the RUN/STOP key in the Commodore emulator, I made certain to allow players to use that key to exit menus, etc.

And I really look forward to holding a physical copy of my game in my hands:

As well as looking at the cloth map of the game world:

And just the other day, my previous publisher (Pystrronik) re-released one of my old games, Theater of War:

... I just got it in the mail a few days ago and it's beautiful.

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

And another video! This time showing how the MEGA65 can use either real 3.5" floppies, or D81 disk images from the SD card.

 

[Silentstorm]

The problem with this kind of game is that you never know much of its actual reputation and ratings go to the fact it is retro in itself. Why would anyone play this, rather than an unplayed episode of Magic Candle or a Gold Box SSI is what I want to know.

It caters to a crowd with no unplayed magic candle or goldbox games, so a few hundreds alive at best... People dont have such fond memories of the vic 20 compare to c64 or amiga considerably more impressive machines in my opinion . So this kind of games is just an hobby thing and only real purpose is make the devs feel younger again i think.

Thought many of these games are sold so i don't think there is just some hobby purposes, but yeah, retro computers get a ton of games, particularly the ZX Spectrum, though there are also some free homebrew games here and there, still, i am pretty sure i have seen recent C64 games for sale on Itch.Io where they gave you roms to play the games.

Though it reminds me of one interview i read somewhere where they asked old programmers for the ZX Spectrum if they played homebrew games and what they thought about them, and i think most of them said they didn't and one was genuinely suprised and asked out loud why the hell were people learning to code for an old system when they could be making games for modern PC's and get a much bigger audience.

My guess is that it's a mix of a hobby, love for the original system, and since they like the games for that system, they know what fellow fans love and can make games that the system's fans will gladly pay for even if the audience market isn't the biggest.

I'm the creator of Realms of Quest V for the VIC-20. My motivation is a lot of the things that you all mention. I suppose that I could make my games for the PC and have a bigger audience, but I already how the VIC-20 works almost inside and out. I will say this in defense of retrogame programming: the old systems limitations provide a structure to work with. And the games that I make are playable on modern systems with emulation. And since the ESC key on the PC keyboard maps to the RUN/STOP key in the Commodore emulator, I made certain to allow players to use that key to exit menus, etc.

That's pretty cool actually, and never really thought about the limitation aspect since many indie games end up being small, or the fact that a lot of people did learn how to code for old computers, doesn't hurt that some computers like the VIC-20 had some great manuals to help people get into them.

Plus, in a way, it's making sure that the Commodore systems are kept alive, since, you know, Commodore went from having really popular computers to screwing up the Amiga and having some strange decisions like making consoles and that ended up killing the company.

But looking at videos and the community that Commodore computers still have make me realize that Commodore was a great company that could have still been alive if they had some competent people managing the company.

 

[Luzur]

The Shadow over Hawksmill - A dark C64 Cthulhu inspired game teased once more!



Argus, Organism, Sizzler, and Rocky Memphis : The Legend Of Atlantis are some truly great games created by Stuart Collier, Trevor Storey and Saul Cross, and while we wait for Dragonspire to be finished, it looks as if another game is coming that is sure to excite many in the C64 community. As thanks to another heads up from Icon64, they have given us another update to the upcoming game of The shadow over Hawksmill; a Cthulhu based C64 horror, which will be using the Legend of Atlantis engine but with far more action.

Sadly that's all we know about the game going by the fact it's still in the development stage, but The Shadow over Hawksmill wasn't the only game keeping us excited, as while we delight ourselves looking at the screenshots above, we are still waiting for the upcoming game Warrior of the Sun; an isometric The Last Ninja inspired game, except you playing as a Mayan warrior, complete with ancient tombs and deadly enemies!

So watch this space.......

http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/07/the-shadow-over-hawksmill-dark-c64.html

PRECINCT 20 Dead Strange - A beautifully crafted new release for the C64!



In 2017 we announced a new project was in development by Alf Yngve and Richard Bayliss, which looked to be a mash of Death Wish with a dab of horror thrown in for good measure. That game which was just a secret C64 project at first, has now been released as 'PRECINCT 20: Dead Strange' ; a glorious C64 game based on a series of short stories under the same title, with you in control of a police detective hunting for clues in a series of murders with possibly supernatural causes.


** CREDITS **

Story by Alf Yngve
Graphics & Design by Alf Yngve
Music & Enhancements by Richard Bayliss
Tape Mastering by Richard Bayliss
Tape Loader Source by Martin Piper
Artwork by Alf Yngve
Additional Packaging Design by Kenz

** MAIN FEATURES **

• Huge 2 Part Scrolling Horror Action Adventure
• Atmospheric Soundtracks
• Gritty visuals
• Edge-of-your-seat gameplay
• Weapon Power-Ups to collect along the way
• Find the clues, solve the mystery!
• Different unlockable ending
• THE C64 Mini compatible
• SD2IEC compatible

Links 1) Website

Mancave - Psytronik Software released a new C64 game [RELEASED]



Great news if you're looking for a new C64 game to play this weekend, as thanks to a heads up by our good friend Aaron, we've been told Psytronik Software will be releasing a new C64 game called Mancave. A game which will be released this saturday 22nd June as a digital download, standard cassette format, a special clamshell tape edition (limited to 50 copies), budget C64 disk and or premium+ C64 disk.

As noted by the description...Psytronik Software is proud to present MANCAVE, a game from the team that produced the fun scuba-romp EXPLODING FISH. MANCAVE follows the hilarious adventures of Richard Morningwood who has the unfortunate task of gathering up the pages of some rather naughty magazines that have been nabbed from his secret stash by his pesky kids. The game will feature a huge storyline, a lovely loading picture, detailed hi-res characters, bonus levels, cutscenes, a boss battle, and a hall of fame!

** CREDITS **

• Programmed by Chris Stanley
• Graphics by Roy Widding & David Eriksson
• Music by Roy Widding
• Loading screen by Rune Spaans
• Inlay art by Trevor 'Smila' Storey
• Additional packaging design by Jason 'Kenz' Mackenzie
• A Megastyle Production © 2019
• Published by Psytronik Software

Links :1) Website 2) Digital Download

Website 2) Digital Download

 

[Luzur]

Not really sure where to post this but eh

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Probably the only article from The Guardian worth reading in our lifetime:


Game changer: the Commodore 64 concert

A rather good in-depth look at the 8-Bit Symphony, a live symphonic performance of many of the best SiD tunes of the 1980s that took place in Hull last month.

Pre-order the concert recording here, ETA is late 2019 for physical versions, most of the digital stuff is available now.https://c64audio.com/collections/featured/products/symphony-64

 

[Silentstorm]

That's actually pretty cool, it's always nice to see parts of video game being treated with respect, even the music, and well, the Commodore 64 had some great soundtracks, heck, the SID and the musicians that used are pretty much a big reason why the C64 is my favorite computer of that era, after all, there is a reason why there are some musicians still using the SID chip nowadays, it just a soul and unique quality of it's own that helped great soundtracks appear.

And you can't go wrong with the C64 if you want great music, much less Rob Hubbard, he could compose for the worst game possible and his music would still make any game several times better by default, sadly, i don't live in the area, but hopefully there will be some way to get a recording of the concert or the music for sale in the future.

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

it just works

 

[octavius]

I saw a guy with a C64 T-shirt the other day. Made me think of Luzur.

 

[Luzur]

Black Dawn Rebirth for the Commodore Amiga 500, coming 2019 !


We are very happy to announce that Double Sided Games will publish the 7th episode of the Black Dawn series! Black Dawn Rebirth is a rpg / dungeon crawler set in a futuristic science-fiction/horror theme. It is currently in development by one of its original authors Shaun Watters with the support of the creator of the series, Andy Campbell. Ten Shu(Barbarian+) is working on the graphics and the music is by Mike Richmond who already worked on the Black Dawnseries in the past.

You can follow the development blog on the official facebook page for the game: https://www.facebook.com/blackdawnrebirth/

 

[Luzur]

The Shadows Of Sergoth for the Commodore Amiga, coming 2019!

Double Sided Games is very proud to announce a third game, coming up 2019! The Shadows of Sergoth is a dungeon crawler in subjective view for the Commodore Amiga 500 with 1Mb of ram. It is based on the Amstrad CPC 6128 game by Christophe Petit & Kukulcan, which gratefully agreed that we port their game!

Saul Cross (graphics and sound) and Colin Vella (code) are already active on the project and the development is moving forward! This is a huge job but thanks to the very thourough documentation left by the original authors, porting the game will be easier.

Of course, the Amiga will give us a wider range of possibilities, and we will make sure to add new features the game.

Here are the main features of the game as of now:

• Rules are freely based on Microlite20, which is an extreme simplification of the Advanced Dungeon & Dragons.
• 3 difficulty levels
• 24 spells to learn
• Character can level up to 20
• 5 races with different characteristics: human, elf, dwarf, half-Orc and human-lizard
• Save system
• Auto-map
• 16 levels to explore

More news coming soon!

L’abbaye des morts for the Commodore 64 is officially released!

Today is the day, L’abbaye des morts for the Commodore 64 is now available to all! The digital download version can be now bought for 7.99$ CAD directly on the product page. A few boxed editions (floppy) for 39.99$ CAD are still available, grab one while you can!

Enjoy the game, and please leave your comments/reviews on the product page, it means a lot to us!

 

[Luzur]

While working on promoting my iPhone remake of Minima Reloaded (see here for more info) I realized that I didn't do a proper release of Minima Reloaded v1.2, so here it is on CSDB:

http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=85739

Quick history:

2001: I made Minima for the 2k Minigame Compo; it took 1st place

2003: I expanded Minima into Minima Reloaded for the 4k Minigame Compo; again it took first place

2004: While working on the C64DTV, at nearly the last minute I got the idea to hide Minima Reloaded on the DTV as an easter egg. It was a real rush job to replace the keyboard controls with joystick controls, particularly the in-game menus. This is v1.1.

2006: Some Hummer DTV hackers requested a keyboard version of Minima Reloaded to work on their joystick-less Hummers. So I added keyboard controls back in while retaining the joystick controls. I also added a confirmation to the fire-button triggered view gem and standardized the use of coloured text in-game. This is v1.2, and the one you should be playing.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

it just works

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Since the Kickstarter sticky thread seems to have vanished, I might as well post this here:

Upcoming Kickstarter project: SiD goes Prague.

So what's this one about then? The 8-bit Symphony concert that's mentioned in one of my posts further up this page, is looking to get into a recording studio with a full and live symphony orchestra!

To quote:

Recording with the professional musicians of the Czech Studio Orchestra will be another special event for everyone who loved the originals. The high quality recordings will open up broadcasting, TV, Radio, more arrangements and further live orchestral performances. I'm very excited about the possibilities!

The Kickstarter goes live on Friday August 9th (roughly a week as of this post) so keep that date behind your ear if you're interested... because I am, for once.

 

[Luzur]

 

[Luzur]

Just released port of Wolfenstein 3D for Commodore 64! This is running on an NTSC Rev B "Breadboard" motherboard inside a 64C case.

Using two cartridges: A CMD SuperCPU 64 V2 w/16MB "Super RAM" and an IDE64 3.4 running v0.897 firmware. Installed using d2m plugin, a CMD FD-2000, and a uIEC (CF version). Wolfenstein 3D for C64 available on CSDB. Mad props to the people who ported this!!! Frame rate in game here about 6 FPS, which is better than I expected. It varies wildly depending on mode and selected view window size.

Anywhere from 4-5 FPS in 16 color, max size, w/sampled sound to 22 FPS in 4 color, min size, "PC Speaker" sound effects. Technical observations: As far as I can tell, the sampled sounds and FLI graphics mode are, surprisingly, over half of the CPU load. Logically this would be due to the SuperCPU having to update the C64 much more often at the C64's native 1MHz bus speed.

Even the menu drops speed significantly in this mode. The game itself in the basic 4 color, "PC speaker" sound, runs at a very playable frame rate. That is insane considering the original game was optimized for 32-bit Intel at a time when most people were in the 33MHz or higher clock speed (40-66MHz common), and when PCs generally ran an 8MHz bus. The CMD SuperCPU is a 20MHz 16-bit speed-up cartridge for the stock C64 (and its 1MHz bus). This is having to do all the same scene rendering in 3D space, and also target the C64's odd graphics memory layout and color restrictions.