The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

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SilvaHaloOne
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby SilvaHaloOne » June 9th, 2016, 6:06 pm

All good information. I still have a bunch the 5 ¼ floppies from the IBM-PC compatible my family had while I was growing up… they were stored in their sleeves in one of those shelf top organizers that were common of the era. Several years ago I picked up a surplus 5 ¼ drive from my work, installed it on an old computer and grabbed all the programs and data off those disks… only 1 of the 35-40 disks had an error that prevented me from getting data and all the program disks worked fine. I think I’ll keep these factors in mind, but it probably doesn’t change my plans to focus on the Commodore disks.

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SilvaHaloOne
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby SilvaHaloOne » June 21st, 2016, 5:58 pm

So small update: A co-worker of mine had a few carts and disk copies laying around from his childhood C64, so he loaned them out to me while I wait for the original seller to get back to me with further loot. I was excited to find “Space Taxi” among the games loaned to me; I spent several hours playing it this weekend and can’t think of anything comparable to it that I had played before. I really liked it… but not for the $300-ish asking on Ebay. Yikes!

Also loaned to me was an original of Frogger, along with copies of Frogger 2, and Ms.Pacman, all of those I had for the A8 already, so it was interesting to see how they compared. In terms of carts, he had “Miner 2049’er,” Jumpman Jr. and a couple of kids games (“Wizard of id Typing” and “Big Bird’s Special Delivery”), I put in the kids games to see if they worked and then moved on to the other carts, which again, I already had for the Atari 8-bit.

The C64 Frogger disk was substantially different than the Atari disk I have, which is also different than the A8 cart I have played… a close look indicates that the two disks were developed by different people. Both are fine games, but I do like the John Harris A8 disk better. I also found myself favoring the A8 version of Frogger 2, but that could be because I am more used to the way that one looks. The actual gameplay felt the same and I could be happy with either. Ms. Pacman also felt quite a bit different between the two systems… I haven’t had enough time with the C64 version to decide which I like better, however I can say that my score was about a quarter of what it was when I play the A8 port. I liked how on the C64 version of “Miner 2049’er,” one could push fire to go through the teleport doors… I also thought it looked a bit better than the A8 version… so it **might** be my go-to edition of that game. On the other hand, it seemed like “Jumpman Jr.” had more interesting graphics and effects on the A8, and even with the different C64 levels considered, I still preferred the A8 version, although I appear to be equally terrible at that game independent of the platform.

Now I am looking forward to meeting up with the guy who sold me the computer sometime next week and seeing what else he has for me to try. Even if it ends up being a copy in my collection… the ability to play “Space Taxi” alone is worth the cost of admission into C64/128 gaming.

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scotland
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby scotland » September 28th, 2016, 10:28 pm

Just a testament to the Commodore 64. Sploid has an article on an auto shop in Poland still using a Commodore 64 to run a piece of equipment in the shop. How many 25 year old computers are still working, and have been in continuous use that long? Bill Gates is claimed (probably apocryphal) to have said 640k of RAM should be enough for everyone, but apparently 64k is good enough in some.

lynchie137
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby lynchie137 » November 26th, 2016, 12:36 am

This is an awesome thread. When I was a kid in the 80's, we didn't have a computer and didn't know many people who did. So I missed out on a lot of great gaming, it seems. Hopefully one day I 'll be able to scrape together enough cash and start playing catch up with what I missed the first time around.

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scotland
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby scotland » November 26th, 2016, 6:46 am

I would like a little system on a chip recreation of a C64, but nothing has been done so far. The Spectrum got something, but I think it was missing a keyboard.

Depending on what kind of system you like, some are reasonably priced on ebay. The problems become - does it work, and finding games. Some systems have multicarts or flash carts. Reliability is a risk though. I think I bought three TI99s before I put one together that functions well. That is not fun, unless fixing these is part of how you enjoy the hobby.

I know some people stand firm against downloading ROMs, and the law probably agrees with them, but for these old systems that the marketplace has long since moved past, I would encourage a good emulator. At this point, I will advocate emulation is preservation, and these games will fade away without it. Go find an emulator, play some Elite or Jet Set Willy, and don't feel bad about it. If someday Epyx (associated with a C64 plug and play a decade ago) or someone else releases a system on a chip unit, then buy it, but until then, emulate.

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Atariboy
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby Atariboy » November 26th, 2016, 8:04 pm

A system on a chip recreation of the C64 was done a decade or so ago for the C64 DTV plug and play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C64_Direct-to-TV

The hooks to interface it with things like keyboards and disk drives are even on the board itself, in easy reach of modders/homebrewers (Much like how the Atari Flashback 2 was designed so modders could interface a cartridge port to it).

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scotland
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby scotland » November 27th, 2016, 7:16 am

Atariboy wrote:A system on a chip recreation of the C64 was done a decade or so ago for the C64 DTV plug and play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C64_Direct-to-TV

The hooks to interface it with things like keyboards and disk drives are even on the board itself, in easy reach of modders/homebrewers (Much like how the Atari Flashback 2 was designed so modders could interface a cartridge port to it).


Yeah, I have one. I mentioned it above as the Epyx plug and play. Its got a few nice games like Impossible Mission, but its missing a keyboard, and was made for only a short time. They are ridiculously expensive on the secondary market, even though some models can be modded. However, its still not even close to having an in-the-box commercial retrosystem.

Alucard1191
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby Alucard1191 » November 27th, 2016, 1:08 pm

Haven't read this really long thread, but I want to add that I LOVED my apple IIe, I used to log a lot of hours into fantasy games like Wizardry, The Bards Tale, Tale of Xyphus, and old MUDS like Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. I've tried some emulators for the old style, but it hasn't done it for me. Part of me would love to get an old collection with a bunch of floppies. From what I've read almost all those games are available on the C64 and run better though. I might be wrong about that. I sure do miss some of my old systems. My parents (many, many years ago... counting decades now) forced me to get rid of my Atari 2600, (which I had 3 separate systems of) my NES, my Apple IIe, and my genesis. I still long for those old systems from time to time. And this website has only fueled that.

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scotland
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby scotland » November 27th, 2016, 2:09 pm

Alucard1191 wrote:Haven't read this really long thread, but I want to add that I LOVED my apple IIe, I used to log a lot of hours into fantasy games like Wizardry, The Bards Tale, Tale of Xyphus, and old MUDS like Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. I've tried some emulators for the old style, but it hasn't done it for me. Part of me would love to get an old collection with a bunch of floppies. From what I've read almost all those games are available on the C64 and run better though.


That's awesome! I had a couple of years of playing with an Apple IIe at school. I learned a lot, including how to make an ASCII art Pink Panther, but that's neither here nor there. I do appreciate the system though, and I appreciate anyone's enjoyment of any older system.

I totally get the 'emulators haven't done it for me'. I have tried a Commodore emulator, and was disappointed. I'll stick to the breadbox, but I have had reliability issues. Its no fun when you power up for some fun, only to have a hardware issue. The boards are getting old, and there is no getting around that.

I found this page http://dreher.net/?c=projects/CFforAppleII/main.php on a flash card solution for the Apple IIe. The gurus on AtariAge probably know of other solutions.

All those games are on the C64, I believe - good taste, by the way. I put in a lot of hours on three of those, but I have not played Xyphus. You can certainly find lots of random C64 floppies on ebay, or an SD2IEC flash card solution to the Commodore.

Alucard1191
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Re: The 8-bit Home Computer Users Thread

Postby Alucard1191 » December 1st, 2016, 9:35 pm

Reading the Critic's Commodore review has made me interested in it. I'm not in the financial place currently to add systems, but a long time goal of mine has been to replace the systems that I've lost over the years. (Parents made me give them up... something I'm still bitter about 2 decades later... but I digress.) I really want an atari 2600, at one point I had 3 of those and a massive library of games, which all went to goodwill or something to punish me one day. (Bitter, lol.) My apple IIe was an amazing thing, but the commodore honestly looks more "advanced" if you will and if it has practically every game that was released on the Apple IIe, (which it most likely does.) then that does seem like the way to go. I also was "relieved" of my original NES (which a pretty good library, only about 15 games but many classics. Original guns and all that.) and my Genesis. (Small library but all but 1 game I remember being amazing. That game? Deep space nine.)

Anyway, Tale of Xyphus plays a lot like like the early Ultima games except it had more first person dungeons which gave it more of a wizardry feel. It was incredibly challenging, like all those games were, I never beat it. But then again, I never beat any of those old games. There was no internet so figuring out the mazes was really really hard. I made it down to floor 4 (of 10) but there were a lot of teleporter trap things and I just couldn't map it right. If I had an 8-bit computer set up next to me with floppies I'd totally play the original Wizardry trilogy again. With some map help, I could absolutely make it through.

I'm actually playing Wizardry 8 currently and extremely addicted. The race/class combinations are endless, and with few exceptions, (lord and psionic maybe?) every class seems to be viable, and some of the weird combinations you can make, (like a dwarf monk or a lizardman valkyrie) are insane. And like the other games you can import characters from a previous game... which makes me want to find wizardry 7.

Since I'm on apparently chatty, what ever happened to the idea of "carrying a character(s) though multiple games?" Wizardry of course does it, but you could do that with Baldur's Gate, Shining Force 3 in theory, etc. (dang Japanese only releases) That seems to have gone the wayside. There isn't a Dues Ex, Bioshock, or Fallout game where you could import a character with power bonuses and whatnot from a previous game. Is that just not a cool thing to do anymore?

/Cue longer old man ramblings.


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