Commodore Free Template
nigelp
issue67 Editorial
CONTENTS
Page 4
www.commodorefree.com
E-Cover Tape 3
Page 7
NEWS PDXCUG.org MEETING VFLI - VIC-20
Page 16
NEWS 2013 C64-RETROINVADERS CALENDAR: ARC64 V2.3 RELEASED
Page 11 NEWS
Page 17
Hyperion AmigaOS 4.1 Update 6 Released
MIND.IN.A.BOX & RAY KOEFOED RELEASE NEW SINGLE
NEWS
Page 12 NEWS
THE MINIMIG IS BACK, WITH THE ARM CONTROLLER!
WINUAE V2.5.0 RELEASED
NEW ARTICLES ON OBLIGEMENT MAGAZINE
Page 18
NEWS FILMSOFT NEWS UPDATE
Page 13 NEWS
Page 19
NEW ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING BLOG
NEWS SUPERCPU EMULATOR SOFTWARE 4k GAME CALLED SECRET TUNNEL
REVIVAL STUDIOS Page 15 RELEASES FIRST NEW PHYSICAL GAME RELEASE IN YEARS
FOR THE COMMODORE PET COMPUTERS
COMMODORE FREE REVIEW AVALANCHE FOR THE PET
Page 22
READERS COMMENTS MAGAZINE IDEAS Page 23 The Commodore FREE One-Liners competition
HOMEBREWING COMPUTERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Page 29
Terrible Nerd Commodore Free Book review
Page 33
SUBHUNTER CARTRIDGE REVIEW
Page 35
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 2
www.commodorefree.com
Editorial
Hi welcome again, this is the first issue of the new year! So It's all the same old same as far as the magazine goes.
as is the earth custom I wish you Salutations and acknowl- More news, reviews and even a competition! Wow.
edgements to the new year; fellow earth creatures.
If you ever had the need to code a 1 liner as they call them
Of course the world didn't end in the latter part of 2012 de- then now is your chance to show your programming genius
spite me downloading the count-down applications and sit- on this. Heck the example even has a 1 line skiing game! Just
ting under a cardboard box with a tea towel on my head (for to pick one example and a duel scroll to prove I can't just
maximum protection), after the app bleeped and the mes- pick 1 example out of the ones supplied. Thanks to Shaun
sage came up to inform me that the word had ended I tenta- for his suggestion and text on the competition and of course
tively climbed out from my "safe" hiding place to the same for volunteering to judge the whole concept. One lucky per-
world i saw when I entered my safe haven. I guess that all son will win well nothing really just the prestigious title of
the praying people did and the various Shamen who took it "Commodore Free one line coder winner" Hmmmm I need to
upon themselves to save us seemed to have done a great job, work on the title, needs some marketing magic to turn it in-
unless, maybe someone miscalculated the date?
to something snappy and memorable. Still your all welcome
to enter whatever platform (well assuming it's a commo-
This issue we have the return of the Commodore Free cover dore one)
Tape, or more specifically tap file collections, I have been
emailed by a few people and the feedback seems to be quite That's all from me
positive for this although some people have expressed that Stay safe
all the files are Commodore 64 related and would like some
C16 and Vic programs to play with. Everything is a work in Regards
progress and if you have any submissions then feel free to Nigel (editor)
get in touch with me about what you have
www.commodorefree.com
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 4
www.commodorefree.com
Commodore Free E-Cover Tape #3
By Richard Bayliss
Last issue there was no cover tape. This was mainly because found for this issue's cover tape. Good news is, I found some-
of me being too busy in real life, having less time for C64 ac- thing quite exclusive and on side 2 of the cover tape it's all
tivities. I bet you missed us last issue hmm? Don't panic. there.
Now things are much quieter we are happy to bring you the long awaited mammoth cover tape. Why mammoth? This is Hopefully in the future some exclusive new games or demos
because we have some amazing stuff for you this issue to will come to us. If you have a game, demo or utility you feel
make up for last issue.
should be added to our cover tape, then please email it to
richardbayliss.c64@gmail.com on .d64, .tap, .prg or whatev-
Unfortunately due to lack of new contributions we had to er. We do all the tape remastering anyway :)
delve into the archives to see what great games could be
STORMBIRD (C)2013 Commodore Free Magazine + TND Games Programming: Anthony Burns (Using SEUCK) Additional programming: Richard Bayliss Music: Richard Bayliss Genre: Shoot 'Em Up (SEUCK Vertical) Controls: Joystick in Port 1 or 2.
you will have to penetrate several waves of air defences, as well as relentless barrage of anti-aircraft fire from enemy infantry, and occasional attacks from the heaviest and deadliest bombers the enemy have to send against you.
Shoot down the enemy planes and also the ground forces, and capture the V-12 Rocket plant. Good luck!
1944 British and American forces have broken the German defences and are advancing inexorably through occupied Europe. Defeat now seems inevitable for the Reich, and only one thing stands in the way of complete humiliation: The world's first combat-operational jet fighter plane; the Messerschmitt ME 262 "Stormbird". Though faster and more agile than anything the enemy forces can send against it, the ME 262 is seriously outnumbered, as the exhausted German War Machine is not able to produce them in great enough numbers to turn the tide.
Taking command of a squadron of seven ME 262's (With an extra one being assigned for each 10,000 points scored), Your mission is to recapture a V-2 rocket development bass that has fallen to allied forces. In order to reach the base,
REVENGE OF THE TOMATO
ple panicked and they started running for their lives. Some
(C)2013 Commodore Free Magazine + TND Games
of which were just too dumb to even enter back to their flat
Programming: Richard Bayliss
and office buildings.
Graphics: Richard Bayliss, Achim Volkers
Music: Richard Bayliss
The president called for help, and thankfully help comes at
Genre: Shoot 'Em Up (Horizontal Scrolling)
hand, by a world's famous heroic leader in the technology
Controls: Joystick in Port 2.
market, and Skyship industry ... YOU ... That's right, you are
the chosen one.
It is the year 2173. Planet Earth was full of peace and hope,
until one day - while everybody was fast asleep in bed, Your mission is to pilot your Skyship through the towns of
snoozin' away, dreaming of good things. Aliens hovered cities, which are infested with deadly mutant tomatoes.
above the towns and cities searching for a good source for Blast your mega double laser beams at 'em. They are the
an invasion. The humble tomato. The very next day, every- main cause for chaos. Luckily for you that's your only mis-
body woke up to hear on the radio that an unexpected se- sion ... Or is it?
ries of objects are floating above the city. Scientists looked
above their telescopes noticing that it is a tomato. When Seriously not. Your mission is to travel all the way across
they saw tomatoes floating above the sky. They found it to several towns and cities, and countryside. Not only do you
be hilarious. Unfortunately, what they thought were hilari- have to shoot the tomatoes, but you also have to rescue the
ous, turned into horror. One of the tomatoes swooped down, people who are stranded on top of buildings or elsewhere.
and sucked a victim. The city was turned into turmoil. Peo- Simply pick them up in the right place, but DO NOT CRASH
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 7
www.commodorefree.com
Commodore Free E-Cover Tape #2
By Richard Bayliss INTO MOUNTAINS, BUILDINGS, STRUCTURES or any other background. (Light houses you will go past).
At the end of your journey, blasting through the small tomatoes. You will end up facing the final ordeal by fighting against the MEGA TOMATO. This evil guardian requires 50 shots before it gets destroyed. Those tomatoes will try their best to destroy your space craft if they get near to you - or you get near to them.
Can you save the world from complete fruity chaos, or will the Mega Tomato dominate this planet?. ... I say good luck pilot. Get blasting.
ROCKS IN SPACE DELUXE (C)1988 Paradox Creations (Public Domain) Programming: Alan Bond Graphics: Alan Bond Music: Alan Bond Genre: Arcade (Asteroids) Controls: Joystick in Port 2.
Original mode The older black+white graphics, which were used in the original Space Rocks Fast mode Game plays in fast mode. Slow mode For the easier game :)
There are 50 levels in total to complete
Down on Earth, Astronomers peer through their telescopes and systems noticing asteroids are heading towards planet Earth. With thanks to all of the latest technology and gadgets, a warp craft has been built. Armed with pulse cannons.
We have transported the warp craft into deep space, and you have been assigned to control it. Guide it safely around space, blasting at each and every space rock that comes across. Avoid contact with this space rock, otherwise you'll destroy the ship and we'll have to warp another one.
As soon as all space rocks have been shot and destroyed, the next wave of space rocks will approach. Keep on blasting those space rocks, and you'll do fine. This game consists of different game modes. Those are as follows:
Deluxe mode Nicer graphics, and posh colourful look
RENT A COP (C)2012 Achim Volkers Programming: Achim Volkers Graphics: Achim Volkers Music: Anders Carlsson Genre: Platform Controls: Joystick in Port 2.
The shopping mall is under threat of imminent robberies from a series of crazy robbers. Each shopping mall has hired
you, as a cop to go into each mall and try to stop the robbers from pinching stuff from well known stores. To help you on your way, you can use escalators and lifts, but beware. Capturing the robber will be not as easy as you will think. In fact at times, the crazy robber will be too smart. Various obstacles in the shopping mall will be a challenge for the poor copper. There are shopping trolleys and assorted toys out there to slow you down.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 8
www.commodorefree.com
Commodore Free E-Cover Tape #2
By Richard Bayliss Avoid contact with the toys, and most of all the toy helicopters. If they hit you, you are guaranteed a hair cut (or could it be something more sinister?). Capture the robbers before the shopping malls have nothing left to sell, thus a major Recession could occur :)
ALESTE (C)1992-2013 Lazer Image Programming: Tim Ager (Created using SEUCK) Graphics: Tim Ager Music: Richard Bayliss Genre: Shoot 'Em Up (SEUCK) Controls: Joystick in Port 2.
To end this issue's cover tape we have a very special SEUCK creation called "Aleste". Sadly the game never got finished, but it is practically a full game anyway. All you have to do is fight the enemy mechs and try to free your world from oppression. Best of luck to you.
An extra game: While loading each part on tape, you will be treated to an extra game called "Moo-Tilation". This is our old tape loader game, seen on a few TND/Psytronik games, in which you have to blast your way at alien ships that try to capture your cows. Once all cows are captured, to game ends.
NEXT ISSUE:
Expect more fun and games for next issue's cover tape. :)
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 9
News
2013 C64-RETROINVADERS CALENDAR: ACTUAL AND FUTURE GAMES [2012]
A new year calls for a new calendar and what could be better than a retro themed one especially when its free to download, you will of course need to print it out though! Available in different languages and formats pick your from the selection of links below
ESPANA http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/111930/calendarioc64-2013_retroinvaders_es_ES.pdf
English: Monday to Sunday http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/111904/calendar-c642013_retroinvaders_en-mon2sun.pdf
English: Sunday to Saturday http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/111905/calendar-c642013_retroinvaders_en-sun2sat.pdf
Castellano: domingo a sabado http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/111907/calendarioc64-2013_retroinvaders_es-lunes_a_domingo.pdf
Castellano: domingo a sabado http://csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/111908/calendarioc64-2013_retroinvaders_es-domingo_a_sabado.pdf
2013 C64-RetroInvaders calendar: actual and future games [2012]
www.commodorefree.com
ARC64 V2.3 RELEASED
Arc64 may also be called via command line with a file name
as argument.
Arc64 V2.3 - © 2002-2013 Graham - 10.01.2013
Arc64 is a small tool to deal with D64, T64, LNX and ZipCode http://csdb.dk/release/?id=114470&rss
archives.
It can be used to edit D64 images, run D64 images in the WinVice emulator, run PRG files via CodeNet, convert T64, LNX, PRG, ZipCode and other formats to D64.
A key feature is the drag & drop support. If you drop a D64 image, it will be opened instead of the currently opened D64 image. If you drop any kind of other file, Arc64 will try to add it to the D64 image. Formats like T64, LNX and P00 will automatically extracted into the D64 image as PRGs.
Any changes to a D64 won't be saved automatically, you either have to drag the header of the directory into an explorer window, or you have to use the Save-option from the menus.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 11
THE MINIMIG IS BACK, NOW WITH THE ARM CONTROLLER!
News
News from elwood Dear customers, The Minimig is now back online! Also the ARM controller is available again.
https://acubesystemsbiz.serversicuro.it/shop/en/minimig/42minimig-2mb-without-pic.html
We thank Jakub Bednarski for his great work and for releasing his design for every Amigans.
Order your items now before it's too late. Go to our online shop. It will give you the total including shipping to your country. http://www.acube-systems.biz/shop/ We'll start to process orders the first days of January.
Happy new year to everyone! The ACube Systems team
www.commodorefree.com
NEW ARTICLES ON OBLIGEMENT MAGAZINE
The following articles have been added to the website of the French Amiga/MorphOS magazine Obligement (http://obligement.free.fr) during the last two months :
- November/December 2012 news. - Old articles from A-News 17 to 20: Report: Amiga '89 Cologne, File: MIDI interfaces, File: Lamer Exterminator virus, Review of Musical Enlightment 1.4, Review of HiSoft Basic, Hardware: A-Max, Review of ARexx 1.10, Review of Digi-Paint 3.0, etc. - Interview with Jonathan Potter (author of Directory Opus). - Hardware: Turbo Chameleon 64. - Hardware: ACA 1231. - Hardware: ARM controller for Minimig. - Review of Dragon Ninja. - Review of Tower Of Babel.
- Review of Savage. - Review of Yo! Joe!. - Review of Globdule. - File: Commodore monitors. - File: Amiga shoot'em ups (1993). - File: Amiga shoot'em ups (1994). - Tutorial: optimization of RunInUAE, ScummVM et DOSBox on AmigaOS 4. - Tutorial: Photogenics - draw streaks. - Tutorial: create a video game with Backbone. - Tutorial: switch from a CRT monitor to a LCD/TFT/LED monitor on AmigaOS 4. - Special quiz about the first name of Amiga software and hardware.
Rendez-vous on http://obligement.free.fr for this nice reading. All translations are welcome. Please contact David "Daff" Brunet for more info.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 12
Filmsoft News
www.commodorefree.com
FILMSOFT NEWS UPDATE
So what Budget Squad titles have we got in store for you?
Text from Flimsoft:
Well a couple of months back I was talking to a coder online
Before I begin, Flimsoft and I would like to say a massive and I have discovered that he has a small catalogue of titles
thank you to all of those who purchased and continue to pur- that have were released a few years back, some of these ti-
chase copies of Alien Bash 2. For a debut release, Tomi Malin- tles that I came across from the catalogue were just great I
en (the man behind the game) and I have been blown away had to do something! Flimsoft selected three of these titles
with the high volume of sales with this release given the to publish on this new sub label (Morph 64, Chang's Adven-
short time of Flimsoft being established, we seem to have ture, and The Cursed Key).
made an impact on the community. So what have Flimsoft
got in store for you this coming year? I can certainly tell you Morph 64 is a nice and cute little puzzler game that is based
that we are starting off with a good 2013 that's for sure, so around a certain Commodore Amiga game. The premise of
let's get cracking!!
Morph is to manoeuvre various marbles to progress onto
further levels, a very addictive game indeed and it plays
For some time I have been thinking of incorporating a sub very well. Chang's Adventure is a collect-em-up/shooter
label for specific games. So I came up with `The Budget game which is a case of running around a large map, collect-
Squad', have a guess where this name derived from... The ing items, defeating baddies and so forth also an excellent
aim of this sub label is to release games that have already soundtrack as well as game play. Finally The Cursed Key is
been released via CSDb or other Commodore 64 download something along the lines of Spellbound ...wondering
outlets, specifically those that were released as Public Do- around a scary mansion and collecting items to progress.
main software. There have been some considerable efforts Besides these three titles, we have also done a deal with an
from coders since 1994 and the end of commercial game upcoming coder from California who is in the progress of
software, I have played so many titles that were released as writing an awesome Dr. Mario style game that at the this mo-
PD and now just forgotten about. So the aim of Budget ment in time we are giving it a working title of Outbreak. All
Squad is to give those titles some much earned recognition in all, a very good line up of games for this new sub label.
and get them packaged up and sell them at a very reasona-
ble price (around 2.99-3.99 for a cassette). It is very unlikely
at this moment in time that Budget Squad titles will sell on
diskette format. Someone asked me a short time back `Do
we really need budget games of this day and age?' I can
truthfully answer that it is a very valid question and per-
haps not, but on the other hand you will still be getting a cas-
sette game a couple of pounds cheaper than a full price title
Commodore Free Magazine
Chang's Adventure
Page 13
Filmsoft News
www.commodorefree.com
Morph 64
A little while back I was talking to the guys behind the recent release of the Little Sara Sister 2 game just an awesome platformer if you have yet to play it and just the type of genre that Flimsoft were looking for. The game is loosely based around the original Super Mario Bros/Great Giana Sisters. After discussions with the coders we have decided to release this one on both cassette and diskette formats as a trilogy so customers will essentially be buying three games in one (bonus!). The full release will include the original Little Sara Sister as well as version 1.5! Those who purchase the release on disk will also receive a digital download of an exclusive level editor that can be used on Windows and Linux operating systems (if you are using a different OS let us know if it is compatible).
released as the guys behind the game have been working very hard with improvements to game play etc. Once again thank you very much for everyone who have been supporting Flimsoft over the past few months you people have made us! All I can say is that we have a bright future ahead of us with some great titles coming up in the near future! All the best for now and have a great new year! Jamie
Production for the trilogy is already underway and I have to say that the cover art is looking beautiful for it very colourful and vibrant. The level editor is a very nice piece of kit to design your very own levels, it is very simple to use for those who are not so familiar with game-making software.
At the time of typing this we are aiming towards March June in having all of these titles released. It is highly probable that the Little Sara Sister Trilogy will be the first to be
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 14
www.commodorefree.com
News
SUPERCPU EMULATOR SOFTWARE
Just to prove that nothing is impossible, I was contacted recently By Shaun Bebbington from Micromart's retro column and told about a Super CPU emulator software package, you can read more about it here; The file is a customised WinVice package and zipped using 7zip (a free software compression package you will need 7zip to extract the files) zip is available from here
Regards, Shaun
http://7-zip.org/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/viceemu/files/experimental%20binaries/WinVICE-2.4x86%20%28scpu64%29.7z/download
At the moment, it's only in early stages and does not do everything that a SuperCPU does. It's about 75% compatible (try Elite, for instance, and you'll see a good speed improvement).
I don't suppose SuperCPU128 support will be included...? But anyway, download it and see for yourself.
4k GAME CALLED SECRET TUNNEL
I love these small games, apart from the loading time reductionJ it's just amazing what can be done with so little in the way of resources anyway here are the details
Title: SECRET TUNNEL Format: Commodore C64 Type: 4K Game Released: November 30, 2012 By Charles Grey
TRAPS Invisible Trap - They are invisible until you hit one, then will
be visible. With a shield you can eliminate it. Stepping into one will take 1 health point. Face - These appear and disappear in place. Cross when they are invisible. Stepping into a visible face takes 1 health.
OTHER SECRETS Invisible Walls Fake walls you can walk through. Hidden Diamonds
HOW TO PLAY Try to get to the end of the tunnel while avoiding 'trap' spots in this multi-screen action adventure game. Collect diamonds and power-up items along the way. Switches in the game can also help you. Watch where you step in this game.
SCORING Diamond - 9 Heart - 1 Shield - 1 / 5 for deactivating trap Secret Diamond - ??
You start the game with 10 health points. The game ends when you either exit the last tunnel or run out of health points. The tunnel is divided into seven rooms. You can move freely back and forth between rooms.
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=113538&rss
ITEMS Diamond - 9 points. Not essential to winning the game. Heart - Adds 1 health point. Shield - Allows you to deactivate one trap spot without losing a health point. You can only carry one at a time. Square Switch - Reveals hidden pathways for a short time. Diamond Switch - Causes the faces to disappear for temporarily. Checkpoint - You will reappear here after losing a health point.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 15
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News
PDXCUG.org MEETING
I KNOW ITS LATE THIS IS JUST FOR REFERENCE
PDXCUG.org Meeting:
-------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
Thursday, December 13, 2012 @6:00 pm
From: commodor-bounces@vcsweb.com
More info & location: http://pdxcug.org/meetings.asp
[mailto:commodor-bounces@vcsweb.com] On Behalf Of
rbernardo@iglou.com
Agenda:
Sent: 13 December 2012 02:09
- Classroom: Programming in Assembly, Part II
To: commodor@vcsweb.com
- Demo: All about REL Files
Subject: [Commodore] PDXCUG.org meeting Thursday, Dec. - Show & Tell: Kevin Savetz will show and read a segment
13, 2012 (fwd)
from his new book Terrible Nerd
- Demo: A look at some new software
------------------ Original Message --------------------
Subject: Reminder: PDXCUG.org meeting Thursday, Dec. 13, As usual, we'll have plenty of time for these activities:
2012 6:00pm PDT
- Gaming Time
From: "PDXCUG Admin" <pdxcug(at)pdxcug.org>
- Show & Tell: Bring anything you'd like to show off
Date: Tue, December 11, 2012 9:52 pm
- Tinker Time:
--------------------------------------------------------
- Soldering
-Hacking
Merry Christmas, PDXCUG.org Fans!
-Coding
-Repair
Here are some Christmas programs for you to enjoy:
-Cleaning of equipment
http://pdxcug.org/blog.asp
What you can bring:
- Your favourite Commodore to play on
Unable to attend the meeting in person? We have a fun alter- - Show & Tell item - have something neat to show everyone?
native:
- Equipment that you want diagnose, fix, or just show off
- Cool Commodore gear or software to share
Come chat with us using your RR-NET, Comet64, Flyer, Win- - Your significant other - plenty for all to do and enjoy
dows or VICE
- We'll be chatting with you live from the meeting.
See you there,
- Interact with others Commodore enthusiasts around the - Goog
world.
_______________________________________________________
- Play online games with others
PDXCUG.org is Portland's Official Commodore Users Group
Serving the greater metropolitan area - Portland, OR USA
http://pdxcug.org/Portland-Commodore-Users-Group-
Meetings every 2nd Thursday of the month
Meetings-Live-Online.asp
Twitter: @pdxcug
http://pdxcug.org
Find us in the c64 chat room
VFLI - VIC-20
Mike (Herr VC) made another improvement to the routines for the VFLI graphics mode for the Commodore VIC20. The colour RAM is now updated just as the VIC has reads out a certain location. All lines are now exactly 71 cycles long. All display data, colour RAM and a complete VFLI image file will now fit into the RAM below 32768. If you want to use this VFLI graphics mode you will need a PAL VIC-20 with an 32 Kbyte RAM expansion. http://www.sleepingelephant.com/vweb/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4828&start=45
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 16
News
NEW GAME "ASK ME UP" AVAILABLE FOR AMIGAOS 4.X
News from Games via amigaworld.net Ask Me Up is a video game about general knowledge. The principle is quite simple: 1 question, 4 possible answers ... Choose the right one! You face the computer on a series of 10 questions. Answer quickly and efficiently to earn points and win medals that allow you to unlock new questions. A "dual" mode is available in L and XL editions: two players compete in turn on the same set of questions.
Ask Me Up is now available for AmigaOS 4.1 computers. More details on www.askmeup.com.
A version for MorphOS should be released in a few days. The game is also available on Android, Linux and Windows devices. Ask Me Up, now you know!
www.commodorefree.com
Hyperion Entertainment Blog AmigaOS 4.1 Update 6 Released
MIND.IN.A.BOX & RAY KOEFOED RELEASING NEW SINGLE "WORLD WITHOUT A SKY".
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 6 has now been released.
More details and a place for registered users to download the update can be found at Hyperion's main web site.
The following AmigaOS platforms are supported:
You can watch the video here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PanLJrCN_PM
http://www.mindinabox.com http://www.raykoefoed.com
· AmigaOne X1000
· AmigaOne 500 (460ex)
· Sam440ep and Sam440ep-flex (all variants)
· AmigaOne XE
· MicroA1-C
· Pegasos II
· CyberStorm PPC
· Blizzard PPC
Update 6 is a rather unique update in that it includes no bug fixes. What Update 6 does include is a new and more efficient way of delivering bug fixes. A new "Update software..." menu item on Workbench now launches AmiUpdate which will now handle all future AmigaOS software updates.
Since AmiUpdate does not do much without a back end database, a new AmigaOS update database has been created. This database tracks dependencies between components so that users can be assured they are applying the correct updates to their specific systems. The rollback facility may be used to undo updates in the event of problems.
Users are strongly encouraged to install Update 6 as it will be the only way to receive future AmigaOS updates between major releases.
Special thanks to Simon Archer for his amazing AmiUpdate product and the AmigaOS testing team for their invaluable effort on this release.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 17
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News
WINUAE V2.5.0 RELEASED
Windows XP systems.
- New CDFS didn't work with DVDs (2G size limit) and Joliet
Toni Wilden has just released another update of the p Amiga CDs.
emulator with a number of improvements, and bugs fixes. - Extended ADF write support was accidentally disabled.
- "ALT-TAB or middle mouse button untraps mouse - F12
New features and updates:
opens settings" window title was missing.
- GUI is finally fully resizable! GUI font is configurable.
- Directory file system 64-bit seek packet implementation
- GUI position, size and fonts saved separately for windowed, was broken.
full window and full screen modes.
- USB HID game controller [-] and [+] input axis movement
- GUI CD audio volume control added.
was broken.
- Synchronize clock option does full time sync when emula- - SPTI + built-in CDFS crash.
tion is unpaused or exited from GUI.
- uaescsi.device error codes fixed (MakeCD)
- Memory configuration can be fully modified (on the fly,
loading state file or using Restart button)
Older bugs fixed:
without need to rerun the emulator.
- RTG palette (if 8-bit mode) wasn't saved to statefile.
- RTG screenshot and video recording directly from emulat- - Disable screen saver option haven't worked properly since
ed VRAM if capture before filtering ticked.
2.0.
- RTG monitor (if multiple monitors) selection added to GUI. - Warp mode didn't work in all vsync modes.
- RTG hardware sprite and hardware vblank emulation are - CD image mounter MDS image CD audio tracks didn't play
now optional.
if sub channel data was not included,
- Chipset "Wait for Blitter" too fast CPU workaround added, MDS image data tracks with sub channel data didn't work at
enabled by default, fixes most graphics
all.
glitches if program does not wait for the blitter, more com- - CD/CD image on the fly switching was unreliable. (Again)
patible than immediate blitter.
- Random unexplained graphics glitches when cycle-exact
- Optional fake 1G directory hard drive size limit for old pro- CPU enabled and bsdsocket emulation was in use.
grams that think drive is full or has negative space if drive is - Some chipset mode on the fly configuration changes caused
bigger than 2G. Can be changed on the fly.
blank screen when returning back to RTG mode.
- Added disable notification icon option.
- Volume control in WASAPI exclusive mode didn't work.
- Added blank unused displays(s) (opens full screen topmost - Windows XP blank screen after ALT-TAB back to Direct3D
black window(s)) option.
full screen mode.
- CD32 CD controller emulation improved (Missing Guardian - Direct3D pixel alignment errors in some modes. (Again)
and Universe CD32 CD audio)
- Many Input configuration fixes.
- AutoVSync 100Hz/120Hz capable monitor support added. - Windows Mouse mode sometimes stopped at invisible bar-
- Low latency vsync and legacy vsync stability improved.
riers.
- Full PC hardware interlaced mode support.
- CD32 CD audio was delayed.
- 68060 missing integer instructions are not anymore emu-
lated if more compatible CPU checkbox is checked.
You can download the latest version from the links below:
- Chipset emulation improvements. (EyeQlazer/Scoopex,
Blerkenwiegel/Scoopex, No Way Demo/Academy,
Download Installer version =
Brian the Lion AGA, SuperPlus monitor mode)
http://download.abime.net/winuae/fil...WinUAE2500.exe
- Sometimes appearing Windows "no disk in drive" dialogs
that point to missing hard drive path are gone.
Download ZIP version =
- Audio emulation quality improved.
http://download.abime.net/winuae/files/WinUAE2500.zip
- Parallel port sampler emulation audio quality improved.
- GamePorts panel remap option allows separate axis config- For more and the latest please visit the Official WinUAE
uration and multiple events.
Website.
- Game Ports panel Test mode can be used to test any kind of
input event, not just joystick events.
http://www.winuae.net/
- Lots of Input panel improvements. (qualifiers, custom
events etc)
- Easy to use debug logging option added to Paths panel.
- Optional MIDI In to Out routing added.
- 64-bit build supports 2.5G address space, allowing up to 2G
of Z3 expansion memory.
2.4.x bugs fixed: - Add Hard drive dialog didn't list all hard drives on some
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 18
News
NEW ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING BLOG I'm kicking off a new blog on Assembly language programming (6502, PIC/dsPIC, MIPS, ARM, AMD64) with a shout out to Dave/Bil/Terry/Fred of the Commodore TED series and how it managed ROM-over-RAM...
I was reading the data-space portion of the reference manual for the Microchip PIC24EP/dsPIC33EP series of 16-bit micros that came out last year, and thinking "I've seen this before" It's hosted on Wordpress for now... http://swissembly.wordpress.com
D. Zoss
www.commodorefree.com
REVIVAL STUDIOS
The game is available on Cassette tape and as free digital
RELEASES FIRST NEW PHYSICAL GAME RELEASE IN download.
YEARS FOR THE COMMODORE PET COMPUTERS
For more information about the new releases for the Com-
Revival Studios is proud to announce that they started devel- modore PET, including screenshots and packaging photos,
opment and publishing for the Commodore PET home com- visit: http://cbmpet.revival-studios.com/
puters. Their first release is a port of their game called
Avalanche. Avalanche is a fun action game people can just
pickup and play. The player has to shoot the various gems
that are falling down from the top of the screen. The gems
are marked with symbols and the player has to match up
the symbol of his ship with the symbol on the gems.
The game will automatically increase in speed, but by strategically shooting gems you can align up to 5 gems in a row to gain points as well as slowing down the game for prolonged gameplay.
Game Features: - Available on Cassette Tape and as Free Digital Download - Works on the all PET computers (except for the PET-2001) - Fast, flicker free, arcade gameplay - Sound support
You can see the game running on a real Commodore PET system at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BSZTqwrWb0
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 19
AMIGA FOREVER AND COMMODORE 64 FOREVER
Amiga Forever http://www.amigaforever.com http://www.facebook.com/AmigaForever
C64 Forever http://www.c64forever.com http://www.facebook.com/C64Forever
RetroPlatform Project http://www.retroplatform.com
www.commodorefree.com
COMMODORE FREE REVIEW AVALANCHE FOR THE PET
How can I possible pass up this excuse to test Revival studios version of avalanche (that was reviewed recently for the Vic; in Commodore Free). Well I couldn't, so here is the review that I erm couldn't pass up on!
Ok; so maybe my build up was a little weak to say the least, but the game played well on the Vic; and so, it sort of follows that the same game play will work on any platform, remove the colours, change the graphics and you will have a Pet version that plays just as well right?
Actually yes! it does but for some reason it looks even better on the Pet, than it did on the VIC! Maybe it's a nostalgic trip on my part back to college; or maybe the Green screen has wormed its way into my subconscious, anyway here is the review......
like I said for the Vic review; Not many people would attempt to program the Vic; never mind the Commodore Pet, (due mainly to the more limited resources) and as I have always said; "this is a real shame" as the machines are still very capable you just need to apply some lateral thinking, even the limitations could work to a programmers advantage! Its often been said; "a good game is a good game", and "a good game doesn't need to have fancy graphics and effects" and "it's more the idea and implementation", however the limited resources of the Vic and Pet put many programmers off, so it's always interesting to see new programs appear especially when they are cross conversions.
Loading the game
we see a scroll of the logo appear and disappear, looks very inspiring! and then we are presented with the rather stark menu screen with no options just "start game"
The object of the game (as was described recently in Commodore free( is to shoot the aliens as they advance, you note they are all differently designed, and note that you have a design on the front of your ship you can change this by pressing Q you should match your ships designs/Charm (they cycle round by constantly pressing Q) with the aliens; and then shoot! this way gains more points than just shooting; and doing the latter (just shooting) will give you a rather quick game!; where you will score next to zero and find it all ends rather quickly. Match 5 or more hits of the same charms on the aliens to score big bucks. Sounds is minimal blips but really it's all the game needs,
As you have read this is all about strategy. Sadly the game doesn't have a high score screen and also doesn't display the high score in the game; you just see your total score at the game end, on the Vic version this was the same, I think that it at least needs a high score feature (otherwise I can't really think of any improvements), without the high score feature and playing the game with friends (assuming you have some) could result in arguments about who scored the most.
Q
Change the charm
O
Move left
P
Move right
SPACE Fire
The VIC review can be found here http://www.commodorefree.com/magazine/vol6/issue65. html#ARTICLE13
Pressing the space bar (as I don't have a joystick) starts the game
The game scores the same as the Vic version, and also has the same summary!
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 22
www.commodorefree.com
READERS COMMENTS MAGAZINE IDEAS
From: Shaun Bebbington To: Commodorefree@commodorefree.com Sent: Thursday, 29 November 2012, 14:46 Subject: One liners.
characters on the VIC and 80 on the C64. So, you could write your two liner on the VIC and load it into the C64. Also, remember the short cuts to get more characters per line, like ? is PRINT, P shifted O is POKE etc... This will mean you can break the 80 character limit anyway.
Hi Nigel, I hope that you're well :-)
Regards, Shaun.
I've been messing around with BASIC again for a laugh, and I thought that a Commodore FREE One Liner competition (or one liner submissions) would be good, except make it a two-liner competition.
0 poke646,rnd (1) *8:printchr$(205.4 + rnd (1) ; :run Attached are some more 'one liners': a dual scrolly for the VIC-20 and two for the C64 using different methods.
To load into the C64 (because they were written on the VIC), The idea is that you can clear the screen and set up your vari- you need ables in the first line of BASIC and then do everything else in to LOAD "DUAL SCROLLY C64",8,0 the second. Setting up the variables first might save some character space in the second line as well.
COMMODORE FREE I've attached one of my favourites from when I was a child: After a few emails we have .................. (see next page) it fills the screen with what appears to be a random maze (and keeps going until Run/Stop is pressed). This will work on the VIC and C64, but you can change the colour randomiser to the 16 available from the C64 by changing the value POKEd to 646 (you can use 16 on the VIC, but it switches to multi-colour mode above 8 if I recall). Can anyone do better...? I'm sure that they can.
Anyway, for anyone who's interested, there is some BASIC compatibility between the C64 and VIC-20, but you get 88
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 23
www.commodorefree.com
The Commodore FREE One-Liners competition
Back in the 1980s, I used to love programming my (more on the rules in a moment), but the extra line
Commodore 64. I wasn't brilliant, but I could do a bit will at least allow you to set up any variables and
and, as always, my Mum was impressed. Fast for- functions, with the rest of the logic free to run in the
ward to 2009 and I needed a change in career, so I second line, presumably until there's a stop condition
thought that I might be able to cut it as a developer, to drop out of the program.
even though I hadn't done any real programming
since the 1990s, so I headed to do a Foundation De- A pro-tip is to use BASIC 2 keywords only and write
gree and to learn all about 'coding' again.
your program on the Commodore 128, saving it and
loading it in on a C64 (or 64 mode), VIC-20 or any-
Fast forward again to late 2012 and I recalled some thing that will be able to read the disk. If you have
BASIC one-liners that I used to love writing on my trouble, remember to load the file name like this:
Commodore the best one of them all was this little
beauty:
LOAD "MYPRG",8,0
0 print chr$( 205.5 + rnd( . ) );: goto
This will force the program to load into the area re-
served for BASIC programs.
Many of you may remember this, as it was, unless
my memory has failed me, listed in the VIC-20 user Also, because using the 128 should allow you to get
manual. A similar listing was also in the Commodore something playable, and of course, you could do a
64 equivalent. So, I contacted Nigel about having a BASIC 7 entry, if you wanted, using the more logical
Commodore BASIC one-liner competition.
DO WHILE loops and IF ELSE IF conditions that
are used a lot in languages like C (or at least, I use
As it happens, one-liners were not just on my mind, them a lot).
as there's been a book published about it. Have a
look here: http://10print.org. It also happens that the Please give as much information about your entries
book's authors favourite mystical one line on Com- as possible: Where did you get the idea? How did
modore BASIC is also mine, although the version you create your program (on a C64 using BASIC 2,
above is more efficient than theirs is.
or emulator using BASIC 7 etc)? Is it platform-spe-
cific? Or will it work on any popular Commodore
Anyway, to celebrate the publication of the book, and
just for a bit of fun
for those who like
programming in BA-
SIC or other high-lev-
el languages, let's
have a one-liner com-
petition! In fact, be-
cause Commodore
BASIC 2.0 does not
allow so many charac-
ters per line (80 on
the C64 and 88 on the
VIC-20), there'll be
two main categories:
One-liners and two-
liners. There are re-
strictions on the latter
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 25
The Commodore FREE One-Liners competition
www.commodorefree.com
8-bit, such as the Commodore 16 as well as the C64? the string in line zero as it's not needed as the string
The more information you provide, the better.
declaration has no other commands after it. Have a
Let's have a look at some examples to get you started look at the listing and experiment.
(which are available in a D64 image).
0 print "{CLEAR}" : a$ = " c64 dual scrolly 'one lin-
Program one: DUAL SCROLLY VIC
er' for commodore free. hi nigelp2k, tmr, chris c16 &
This is VIC-20 specific version, written in BASIC 7 allan. www.commodorefree.com submit your own
to get more text into my message using WinVICE. examples to us :-)
This displays an 'animated scrolling marquee', as it's
known nowadays, or a scrolly text to everyone over 1 a$ = right$( a$, 150 ) + left$( a$, 1 ) : print
the age of 30, which will print out the first 22 charac- "{HOME}{REVERSE ON}" left( a$, 40 ) : for i = 0
ters of the message and then shift each byte in the to 20 : print : next : print"{REVERSE OFF}" left$(
string one place to the left before adding the first a$, 40 );: get b$ : if b$ = "" goto 1
character to the end of the variable A$. The contents
of the top row are copied to the bottom row of the Program three : DUAL SCROLL2 C64
screen by reading each position of the top line and Similar to the example above, and again written in
POKEing the values to the bottom, also changing the BASIC 7 to get a longer scrolly message, but takes a
colour attributes there, for a bit of variety. Then it'll copy of the message from the top of the screen by
check if any key has been pressed, and if not will POKEing each byte to the corresponding position on
loop around to line 1. Simple, eh? Here's the source the bottom row.
code of the listing, noting that any special characters
are in curly braces { }. Also be aware that spaces are 0 print "{CLEAR}" : a$ = " c64 dual scrolly 'one lin-
added here to make each listing more readable. Add- er' for commodore free. hi nigelp2k, tmr, chris c16.
ing spaces will... err... take up unnecessary space in www.commodorefree.com - can you do better than
your submission unless you need them (for instance, this? give it a go =-)
within a string or something). Be aware that there is
no closing quotation mark on the string in line zero 1 a$ = right$( a$, 151 ) + left$( a$, 1 ) : print
as this is not required by BASIC and saves you one "{HOME}{CYAN}"left( a$, 40 ) : for i = 0 to 40 :
whole character as well. Remember to use BASIC poke 1984 + i, peek( 1024 + i ) : next : get b$ : if b$
2.0 keyword abbreviations if you're using BASIC 7 = "" goto 1
to write your programmes as this will allow even
more commands or data to fit into one line.
Program four: COLOUR MAZE1 VIC
This is the first variant of the randomly scrolling laby-
0 print "{CLEAR}" : s = 8164 : c = 38884 : a$ = " rinth that the book mentioned above is based upon.
'one line' dual scrolly by Donkeysoft for commodore This is a genuine BASIC 2 entry, which will select a
free. hello to nigel, wayne, chris c16, allan. vic 20 random colour for each diagonal bar which is put on
rulez! www.commodorefree.com
the screen, whilst also setting the border and screen
1 a$ = right$( a$, 138 ) + left$( a$, 1 ): print colour to black. This means that some bars do not
"{HOME}" left$( a$, 22 ) : for i = 0 to 21 : poke c + i, appear as they too are black on a black background,
0 : poke s + i, peek( 7680+i ) : next : get b$ : if b$ = making a nicer maze in my opinion. Well, there's no
"" then 1
point in having a colour computer without using the
colours, is there?
Program two : DUAL SCROLLY C64
Here's the listing:
This is written in BASIC 7 (using only BASIC 2 key-
words with abbreviations, of course), which allowed 0 poke 36879, 8 : print"{CLEAR}" chr$(8)
a longer scrolly message than usual. The top line is chr$(142) : c=646 : x=205.4
inverse video, and a copy of this is printed to the 1 poke c, rnd(0)*8 : print chr$( x + rnd( 0 ) );: get a$
last-but-one row. It stops with a key-press or a : if a$ = "" goto 1
RUN/STOP key as there's no attempt at protection
here. Note that there's no closing quotation mark on
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 26
www.commodorefree.com
The Commodore FREE One-Liners competition
Program five: COLOUR MAZE2 VIC
1 a$ = right$( a$, 155 ) + left$( a$, 1 ) : for i = 0 to x
This is similar to the above program, but it POKEs a : print : next : print left$( a$, 39
diagonal bar directly to the screen, waits for a key )"{HOME}{REVERSE}" left$( a$, 40 ) : poke 2023 ,
press and then over writes the previous maze if that peek( 1063 ) - 128 : x = 21 : get b$ : if b$ = "" goto 1
happens. This version does not scroll, and also disa-
bles the RUN/STOP key when you run it, which Program eight : SKIING C64/128
means that you cannot break out of the program. Written in BASIC 7, this will happily work in 64 or
Here's the source:
128 mode, and may also work on the C16 and Plus/4,
although I haven't tested it. Use Z and X to move left
0 poke 36879, 8 : print"{CLEAR}"chr$(8) chr$(142) and right to avoid the trees.
: c = 38400 : s = 7680 : x = 77.4: l = 505 : k = 198 :
poke 808, 100
0 z = 23 : def fna( a ) = a=88 : def fnb( b )= b=90 :
1 for i = 0 to l : poke c + i, rnd(0)*8 : poke s + i, x + def fnc( c ) = rnd( 0 ) * c : x = 7 : s = 0 : l = 0 :
rnd(0) : next : poke k, 0:wait k,1 : goto 1
b$="{GREEN}^" : print"{CLEAR}skiing one liner",
,"c64/128" : for i = 0 to 18 : print : next : p = 1104 : t
Please note that in line zero, the forth variable decla- = 30 : k = 40 : i = 0 : u = 22
ration is a lower-case L and not a number one (as it 1 h = p + x : y = fnc( 6 ) : poke h, 33 : poke h + 1, 33
appears to be on my screen here anyway). Same with : print tab( y ) b$ tab( 6 + z fnc( u ) ) b$ : get a$ :
line one in the FOR loop FOR I = 0 TO L it should a$ = a$ + b$ : x = x fna( asc( left$( a$, 1 ) ) ) + fnb(
read.
asc ( left$ ( a$, 1 ) ) ) : if peek( h + k ) <> t and peek(
h + 1) <> t then s = s + 1 : goto 1
Program six: COLOUR MAZE3 VIC
This is similar to the above listings, but it uses func- Program nine : SKIING VIC
tions to work out which the random colour and diago- This is a playable skiing game, more or less. Control
nal bar. Functions can be useful, so this is just to the skis with Z and X to move left and right to avoid
demonstrate how to use them. This one doesn't disa- the keys (up arrows) in green. This was written in
ble the RUN/STOP key, so you can break the pro- BASIC 7, using functions again to read the keys as
gram at any time. Be aware that I've used the well as decide a random number. Remember that
variable L again in lower-case, and at least with the when you use the GET statement, it cannot return a
font I'm using here, it looks almost identical to the null value, so I've done a work-around in which I
number one.
concatenate the contents of A$ with B$ and then take
the LEFT$ the new value of A$ to the first character
0 poke 36879, 8 : print chr$( 8 ) chr$( 142 ) : (otherwise it doesn't work), as the value x is used to
c=38400 : s = 7680 : def fna( x ) = 77.4 + rnd( x ) : move the skier left and right. It also counts your
def fnb( y ) = rnd( 0 ) * y : l=505 : k=198
score for each time you miss a tree. As we're limited
1 for i = 0 to l : poke c + i, fnb( 8 ) : poke s + i, fna( 1 to two lines of BASIC, and even with BASIC 7 and
) : next : poke k, 0 : wait k, 1 : goto 1
BASIC 2 doesn't do IF ELSE IF, you have to type
PRINT S to see your score.
Program seven : DUAL SCROLL3 C64
This is a refined version of DUAL SCROLL2 C64, 0 z = 11 : def fna( a ) = a=88 : def fnb( b ) = b=90 :
but much quicker, and with inverse text at the top def fnc( c ) = rnd( 0 ) * c : x = 7 : s = 0 : l = 0 : b$ =
line.
"{GREEN}^" : print "{CLEAR}skiing one liner vic" :
for i = 0 to 17 : print : next : p = 7702 : t = 30 : k =
0 x = 22 : a$ = " here is another dual scrolly type 22 : i = 0 : u = 13 : f = 33 : v = 38422
thing. we like one liners. i send greetz to the usual 1 h = p + x : y = fnc( z ) : for i = 0 to 1 : poke h + i, f
suspects. see what you can do in 1 or 2 lines of basic! : poke v + x + i, 0 : print spc( y ) b$;: next : print :
Bye
get a$ : a$ = a$ + b$ : x = x fna( asc( left$( a$, 1 ) )
) + fnb( asc( left$( a$, 1 ) ) ) : for i = 0 to 1 : if peek(
h + k + i ) <> t then next : s = s + 1 : goto 1
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 27
www.commodorefree.com
The Commodore FREE One-Liners competition
Remember to remove the unnecessary spaces and use
the 128 in 128 mode when writing this program.
Please email in with any questions that you may have
if these rules do not seem clear. Please submit your
Program : SKIING III
work by the deadline using email to
This has been written in BASIC 7 again to squeeze in commodorefree@commodorefree.com, or ask about
as much logic as possible, and works with the C64, the Dropbox folder that has been set up to accept sub-
VIC, C128, C16 and Plus/4, but has been 'sized' in missions.
favour of the VIC-20 as this has the smallest screen.
0 def fna( a ) = a=88 : def fnb( b )= b=90 : def fnc( c ) = rnd( 0 ) * c:def fnd( d )= d=100 or d=150 or d=200 : x = 7 : s = 0 : l = 0 : b$ = "{GREEN}^" : c$="{BLACK}!!" : t = 0 : n = 13 : u$ = "{UP}" : print "{CLEAR}skiing one liner", ,"vic/64/128" : print : print 1 y = fnc(6) : print tab( x ) c$ chr$( n )tab( y + l ) b$ tab( y + 10 l ) b$ u$ : get a$ : a$ = a$ + b$ : x = x fna( asc( left$( a$, 1 ) ) ) + fnb( asc( left$( a$, 1 ) ) ) : if x > y + l and x < y + 8 l then s = s + 1 : l = l fnd( s ) : goto 1
And now for the rules: ñ Machine code can be used if it's using a MC loader (DATA/FOR/POKE combo) 0 sys 2059 which then runs an entire game written in assembly, C or some other compiled or assembled code is not a one liner for the purposes of this competition. ñ For two-liners, the first line should be used for variables, functions and data, and the second should contain the logic. ñ Please provide as much information as possible with your submissions, i.e., what you were trying to achieve, and how far you think you got to achieving it; how you created your program (genuine one liner, BASIC 7 or whatever). ñ Entries are welcome on all Commodore 8-bit formats in any known variant of BASIC please save them to a D64 disk image along with your documentation. So, you could try something for the C128, for instance. ñ Have fun with it remember, 640 bytes ought to be enough for anyone!
ñ The closing date is Friday 8th March 2013 at 11:59pm GMT. The winner will be announced in the next available issue of Commodore FREE, and through the various forums that we use. We will dig out some prizes for you.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 28
www.commodorefree.com
HOMEBREWING COMPUTERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Building your own computer can be both a very satisfying now freely available on the internet. These retro machines
hobby and a valuable learning experience. This article pro- may not have much practical use, but the learning experience
vides an overview of what is involved and may convince you itself can be of tremendous value.
that it is a trip worth embarking on.
Hobbyists without any background in electronics somehow
Technology develops at break-neck speed. Today, there is no picked up the required skills and share their home brewing
sensible use for 8-bit, 64 kilobyte computers with less experiences online. Although some of their creations are
processing power than a mobile phone. Yet, a lively `Retro stunningly exotic, most people actually build very simple
computing' subculture has existed ever since the 8080, Z80, machines: they take a CPU, add RAM, ROM, a serial port plus
6809 and 6502 processors faded out of view. Already in the maybe an IDE interface for mass storage. And most of them
early 1990s, nostalgic users wrote software emulators to run either Basic (like the 1980s home computers) or use a
relive the `vintage' experience of their old Commodore 64 or `vintage' operating system like CP/M. Running CP/M, in fact,
Apple II. Others preferred the actual hardware, and began to is a very nice target to work towards: lots of good software
collect classic computers. As their old machines broke down ensures that your homebrew computer can do something
occasionally, people began to cultivate the art of computer interesting once it is built. As the predecessor it also provides
diagnosis & repair into a new form of retro computing.
a familiar command line interface; and CP/M has the benefit
of being very simple. A few days of study are enough to port
it to your circuit board.
Still, one challenge remains: if you want home brewing to be an enduring hobby instead of a one-off project, there should be some perspective beyond putting together a minimal computer and switching it on. But working all on your own, taking the next steps can get progressively more difficult: building graphics subsystems or using exotic processors. Or even adding state-of-the-art microcontrollers to create `Frankenstein' systems: blends of old and new technology that can do something useful, like automate your home
This is where the N8VEM group comes in. In 2006, Andrew
Lynch published his own Single-Board CP/M design with
the express intention to engage and involve others. The
N8VEM (named after his ham radio license) was intended to
be expandable with add-on cards and soon, an informal col-
laborative effort emerged around a Google mail group. A
web site was set up to share the hard- and software that be-
gan to be produced. Builders with a wide range of skills got
involved from well-known systems designers to absolute
beginners that bought Andrew's $20 circuit board and then
ordered the handful of required electronic components plus
soldering iron online from an electronics distributor. Two
days of wielding the soldering iron results in owning a nice
A Home-Brew N8VEM system
CP/M computer, using ROM and RAM disks for storage and plenty of vintage software built in. If builders catch a more
severe retro virus infection, they can expand it into a powerNext to software emulation and hardware maintenance, a ful (we use the term lightly here) multiprocessor system third strain of retro computing emerged: designing and build- with `blinkenlights' and hard disks, graphics subsystems
ing your own system from a "bag of chips" and a circuit board. and various operating systems. At the same time, people
It actually is amazingly simple to create a functional compu- have spun off to build miniature computers, PC/XT clones ter on a little circuit board that is, with all the information and 32-bit machines
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 29
www.commodorefree.com
HOMEBREWING COMPUTERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Core to the expansion options of the N8VEM is the ECB bus. The N8VEM can be plugged into a `backplane' and access about a dozen or so peripheral cards that have been created so far. However, the first expansion option is actually not an ECB card, but the $5 PPIDE mini-board, which allows the use of an IDE hard disk or Compact Flash card. Costs are minimal: even an old 256MB drive offers more storage than can reasonably be filled with CP/M software.
The N8VEM is supported by a very effective toolchain. Wayne
Warthen's RomWBW project bundles source code of many
The N8VEM Single-Board Computer
builders into a smooth-running CP/M system, supporting
N8VEM, though, is certainly not about providing soldering kits. It is about joining in, trying out and picking up skills along the way. Skills that range from reading schematics,
most ECB peripherals out of the box. The EPROM also contains a ROM disk, which can be filled with your own selection of applications. A suite of utility programs, written by Doug-
down to debugging a computer card that does not do what it las Goodall, allows easy maintenance of hard drives and ter-
was supposed to. The learning curve may be steep at times, but because the N8VEM mail group is very active, expert help is at hand when you get stuck. Nothing prevents you from plugging in your own CPU board design, but if you do you're not forced to then also develop all the other expan-
minal settings. And lastly, the well-known simh emulator has an emulation mode for the N8VEM system. Software can thus be developed from the comfort of a modern PC, tested on the emulator and then copied onto compact flash images to run
sion boards on your own. And as the novelty of designing a on the real machine.
simple SBC (single-board computer) wears off, maybe you
prefer to focus your energy on exploring graphics systems, How to get started: books and tools or ways to hook 8 bit machines up on the internet. Or jump into systems software development and share the fruits of it The challenge with home brewing is mostly to find out how to with a few hundred others. It turns out that retro computing do things. Once you know, most steps are straightforward.
is not always backward-looking: making `Frankenstein' sys- And that is why home brewing as a group makes a lot of sense.
tems by adding modern Propeller chips or FPGAs to old hardware is a nice way to gain experience in modern digital electronics too
Still, two pieces of background information will prove indispensable for any builder: understanding basic computer hardware and having an understanding of assembly lan-
First steps: the single-board N8VEM computer
guage. Reading up on these topics will not only make things
At a size of 10 by 16 centimetres (roughly 4 by 6 inches) the easier, but will also add to the understanding of what you are
N8VEM computer does not look particularly impressive. Yet, putting together. Some free literature suggestions are at the
it provides all the capabilities of a commercial microcomput- end of this article.
er of the early 80s in fact, thanks to CP/M it is software-
compatible with them, offering a range of very good program-
ming languages including Basic, C, Pascal and of course as-
semblers. Excellent editors (ZDE) and word processors
(WordStar) are also available and the determined could run
simple spreadsheets, databases and games (Zork!) as well.
The N8VEM is so small due to one concession to modern-day
electronics: it uses a single, high capacity RAM chip. All the
other electronics are components that would have been used
`back in the day': simple 74LS logic chips, plus a Z80 and
classic interface chips. Memory is backed up by a battery, and
therefore the RAM disk is a practical storage mechanism.
Especially because a ROM disk comes with most essential
software installed. You use the N8VEM either with a serial
terminal, or (more likely) with a PC terminal program. The Xmodem protocol allows transfer of files to and from the A typical hobbyists' electronics workbench with the tools of the trade
N8VEM.
Commodore Free Magazine
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www.commodorefree.com
HOMEBREWING COMPUTERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
How to get started: books and tools The challenge with home brewing is mostly to find out how to do things. Once you know, most steps are straightforward. And that is why home brewing as a group makes a lot of sense. Still, two pieces of background information will prove indispensable for any builder: understanding basic computer hardware and having an understanding of assembly language. Reading up on these topics will not only make things easier, but will also add to the understanding of what you are putting together. Some free literature suggestions are at the end of this article.
looks like a classical front panel, but actually is a much more sophisticated debugging tool.
Only a few tools are really necessary - although for many,
building up an electronics lab is part of the fun. A good solder-
ing iron, a cheap `solder sucker' to undo mistakes, and a
multimeter are absolute requirements. An old second-hand
oscilloscope is a tremendously useful extra. A logic analyser can also be a big help, by allowing you to inspect multiple The 20Mhz Zeta board fitted underneath a 3.5" disk drive
signals at the same time to figure out what is wrong. Old logic Multiprocessor systems
probes are expensive and cumbersome new designs such Another option is the 6x0x board, which deserves special
as the USB-based Saleae are cheaper and better. Lastly, at attention. It adds a second processor and operating system to
some point you will need an EPROM programmer, unless you the N8VEM. Builders can choose to plug in a 6502, 6802 or
want to depend on others to burn EPROMs for you. Make 6809 microprocessor and let it run DOS/65, Flex or Cubix.
sure you have a programmer that can deal with a wide range The 6502 will appeal to those with an Apple II or Commodore
of (E)EPROMs, as N8VEM boards use all sorts of them. Lastly, background, but the 6809 is the most interesting option: it
a laboratory power supply is a wise investment. Mostly be- was considered to be the most powerful 8 bit microprocessor,
cause they have a current limiter that cuts power when a and the Cubix operating system gives it a comfortable operat-
short circuit could otherwise blow up your board!
ing environment with a full tool chain. Typical for what hap-
pens in the N8VEM approach, the 6x0x board was expanded
How to go further
first with an extra I/O board, and then even with a custom
The obvious first step is to add the $20 backplane, and put the backplane to use ECB cards without the Z80 being present as
N8VEM plus backplane into a case (options range from DIY a server.
woodwork to buying a standard 19" card cage). From here on,
the choice is a personal one. A few highlights:
Having a card rack full of peripherals operating the Big Three
8-bit microprocessors, running everything from CP/M to
· VDU cards: Adding a video card frees you from the use of Flex, the N8VEM becomes a true fetish object for retro com-
a PC and brings that warm glow of old CRTs into the room. puting enthusiasts. It can take years to master that universe
Using vintage CRT chips is also very interesting from a of hard- and software, with plenty of manageable yet satisfy-
hard- and software perspective.
ing projects still waiting to be done. OS/9 is just one builder's
· Adding hard and floppy disk drives increases the `Vintage' project away, for instance.
qualities of the N8VEM. Although, in practice, you will
probably not use the floppy disks very much.
The cutting Edge
· `Frankenstein systems': blending old and new technology N8VEM has spun off new projects in various directions. If you
can be very interesting. For instance, the PropIO card like to keep things simple, the Zeta board is a small project,
adds mass storage in the form of a modern SD card, but at offering a very fast (20Mhz) CP/M computer, with SD cards
the same time the on-board Propeller chip supports VGA as mass storage, VGA connector and an on-board Propeller
graphics and PS/2 keyboard.
experimentation area. All on the size of a circuit board the
· Blinkenlights: a front panel with dozens of switches and size of a 3.5" floppy drive.
flashing lights is just good fun. The ECB Bus Monitor card
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 31
www.commodorefree.com
HOMEBREWING COMPUTERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The trailing Edge
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S7mK2Oq
In the last few years, development efforts have also broad-
BoTiEs98QAcCRquvBklHorPmGf8xLjp46i7M
ened out towards the well-known S-100 bus, made famous
(written consent of the photographer for any publi-
by the original 1975 Altair computer. New S-100 cards pro-
cation purpose of this article)
vide everything from mass storage devices, video cards, to
80286 and 68000 processor cards. With that range of op- Higher-resolution versions of photos are available if desired
tions, builders can either provide a new lease of life for old
S-100 systems, or simply create a brand new one.
http://n8vem-
sbc.pbworks.com/w/file/61925814/N8VEM%20arti
Keeping things together
cle.doc
With such a broad array of projects, and involvement from
people with widely differing skill sets, it is remarkable how
the N8VEM mail group binds all these builders together. The
youngest builder is 14 years old; it would be impolite to
mention the age of the oldest. But if you have ever used 8-bit
computers, you're likely to encounter some of the people that
designed those vintage machines on the N8VEM mail group.
This loose organisation of builders means that it is quite easy
to join in whether home brewing is a full-time hobby or just
a one-off desire to own a $20 self-built computer for fun.
Suggested literature, freely available online in PDF format: · Steve Ciarcia, Build Your Own Z80 Computer. · Rodnay Zaks, Programming the Z80.
N8VEM mail group: groups.google.com/group/n8vem
N8VEM depository: n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com
S-100 board development: http://www.s100computers.com Author: Oscar Vermeulen, o.vermeulen@altis.ch . No copyrights reserved: text is in the public domain.
Origin of pictures: http://n8vemsbc.pbworks.com/f/1252026457/100_0210_1.JPG (cover page of N8VEM repository, used with approval)
http://www.nekochan.net/photos/PICT1495.JPG (written consent of the photographer for any publi-
cation purpose of this article).
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electroni cs_workbench.jpg (copyright free + written consent of the photogra-
pher for any publication purpose of this article).
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 32
www.commodorefree.com
Terrible Nerd
Commodore Free Book review
If the title doesn't give the book away; then reading the introduction will! If you don't recognise the writer then you must be of a younger generation; however don't let this put you off. Kevin Savetz' Tech writer, pours out his memories of growing up in a new era of technology.
Here we have a 41 year old male; who grew up on what many called "new technology" the explosion of the pocket calculator and the birth of the home computer system. Things that had never been seen or experienced before, a glorious era of ideas and interesting music projects and strange hairdos (although to be honest most areas have strange hairdos, I am led to believe this is fashion).
Kevin is the creator of (amongst other websites) the excellent resource www.Atarimagazines.com and while true this isn't strictly a Commodore related website (nor is the book; as Kevin was an Atari baby, however this doesn't matter) the website does house 6502 programming manuals, and of course all items are printed with the original author's permission.
Kevin also created many resources for finding your way around the web in his life; and was also the moderator on many newsgroups. A frequent BBS user and general computer enthusiast and of course self confessed geek, some may call him a nerd (hence the book title). Kevin also helped many with his free internet fax service. And how would we
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 33
Terrible Nerd Commodore Free Book review
www.commodorefree.com
survive without the glorious fridge magnet site! http://www.savetz.com/fridge/fridge.cgi
era evolved to a career in Computers as many people have done.
The book starts with Kevin growing up with consoles like The book is very light hearted and dotted with pictures of Atari 2600 and intellivision and his first 8 bit computer sys- various systems, screen shots from games and BBS systems tem, feeling alienated at school (the nerd) he had access to and pictures of Kevin opening presents on Christmas days. and the wealth of online services from BBs to CompuServe. While it may not be a true reflection of history from an acaThe whole school years thing; and of course swapping demic level; its one persons view of growing up in a whole games with friends in the bike sheds. Girlfriends or the lack new electronic age of computers, flashing LED lights and thereof, playing Mule and learning about Basic program- speak and spell. Kevin seems to recall everything in crystal ming. How he created graphics for various BBS front ends. clear details, documents things as they were rather than
with a rose tinted view of how things should have been. These early attempts at mastering the electronic beast gave Kevin a foot in the door ahead of many others, Kevin would http://www.terriblenerd.com/ use his new skills to create friendships of like minded peo- http://www.amazon.com/Terrible-Nerdple and hone a hobby into a career in the computing indus- ebook/dp/B00A6I85BC try.
The book explains about Kevin's hacking of the school computer to dial into BBS`s, how he caused trouble on college radio, and one of his altered egos that of AOL`s AnswerMan later sections detail meetings with Microsoft and even some writing job offers from the company, yes with pay!
Kevin explains "While other guys were chasing girls, he was typing in pages of code from computer magazines, swapping software, programming in BASIC, and scouring newsletters for clues to text adventures".
The book covers Kevin's First modem and his murky links to various Bulletin board systems, (this is before the internet for you young ones) School kids Copying games and the types of pirates, some amassed hundreds of titles but probably never played them; others just wanted the latest games, and talking of games the book has references to some especially jumpman and various text adventures and infocom.
While the book isn't a; Commodore or Atari saved my life style of evangelism, it is a look at how growing up in a new
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 34
www.commodorefree.com
SUBHUNTER CARTRIDGE REVIEW
This game was originally connived by Frank Gasking and with the help of Richard Bayliss as key programmer work started on this conversion to the Commodore 64 that would take approximately 4 years to complete! The game was to be later released by Psytronik in disk tape and downloadable formats.
As usual with RGCD the package can't be faulted on quality; you even get a little sticker so you can stick it onto yourself and show how cool you are! Also included are instructions for the game and of course a full colour box to hold all the items in.
So Fast forward to today and RFCD have released a car- So with Cartridge armed in machine I powered on; and the
tridge of the version with some small fixes and glitches re- graphics start to tempt you and you know this is one of
moved. Check here for more details
those really special games.
http://www.rgcd.co.uk/2012/12/sub-hunter-cartridge-
available-c64.html the cartridge version is also Commodore As you press fire and start the game; the music kicks in and
Games system compatible as it doesn't need a keypress!
you start to see the game move its silky smooth parallax
scrolling; you can't fail to be impressed you get an almost 3d
The Cartridge is available in 2 versions
effect; this is without the silly glasses needed, it's just an illu-
The standard version is priced at £25 inclusive of
sion from the depth of parallax scrolling. But it does seem to
UK/Europe shipping, and £26 for the rest of the world, draw your eyes to a 1 inch section in the middle of the
whereas the deluxe version costs £30 (UK/Europe) and screen, it can become quite hypnotic.
£32 (rest of world).
Your ship can move up, down, left and right but the screen
Let's have some brief games synopsis then get actually play- scrolls itself at a constant speed, you will have to be quick as
ing something
you don't have time to admire the view kill the other stuff
and collect the swimmers to move on to the next level, the
SYNOPSYS
next level see you bombing fish and is a static screen were
Apparently a government experiment has gone wrong; and your sub is at the top of the screen and you explode bombs
this turns into a cover-up attempt, waste from experiment is onto the fish below, clearing a path for the swimmers.
dumped out to sea. Unfortunately the 'cover-up' has a dra-
matic effect on the aquatic life, it seems that swimmers are One thing here is Richard Bayliss has really outshone him-
also going missing and the seas start to spiral out of control. self with this game, I know it was a lot of work and Frank
Added to all of this the seas are heavily guarded by agent put an enormous amount of perfectionist pressure on the
subs, who were very responsible for the government's bad project; but it's all paid off this is one hell of a good game!
incident.It is down to you and the war sub to save the ocean The music also really elevates the game up a notch, this is a
and those who are lost.
must have purchase!
Instructions Use a joystick in port 2..
For 10 levels you must save 5 swimmers.
Levels 2,8,15 and 22 - Destroy groups of fish and subs to clear the way for a pack of swimmers to get safely through
Levels 3,9,16 and 23 - Save divers trapped on the sea bed. I really really wanted to give it a 10 but..................
Levels 11,18 and 24 - Shark attack! Can you survive the onslaught of deadly sharks?
Final level - Destroy the mother mutant shark.
Bonus level - Collect diamonds for bonus points. If less than 4 lives, extra lives will be rewarded if you complete this stage. Watch out for the bouncy mines. One hit and bonus is over!
GAME ON The majority of the action is based on a sideways scroller but the levels are varied, as you can see from the above text.
Commodore Free Magazine
Page 35
Issue 66 2013
Editor Nigel Parker
Spell Checking Peter Badrick
Text & HTML Conversion Paul Davis
D64 Disk Image Al Jackson
PDF Design Nigel Parker
Website www.commodorefree.com
Email Address commodorefree@commodorefree.com
Submissions Articles are always wanted for the magazine. Contact us for details .We can't pay you for your efforts but you are safe in the knowledge that you have passed on details that will interest other Commodore enthusiasts.
Notices All materials in this magazine are the property of Commodore Free unless otherwise
stated. All copyrights, trademarks, trade names, internet domain names or other similar rights are acknowledged. No part of this magazine may
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