A Commodore 64 Walkabout

by

Robinson Mason

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PUBLISHED BY:

Robinson Mason

A Commodore 64 Walkabout v3

Copyright © 2017 by Robinson Mason

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Disclaimer: The author takes no responsibility for the content found through external hyperlinks or site suggestions that appear in this book. The external hyperlinks and site suggestions in this book are provided only as a convenience to the reader and may direct to different content over time.

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: The C64 Then and Today

Chapter Two: Emulation

Chapter Three: Productivity, Art, and Music

Chapter Four: Text Adventures and Role-Playing Games

Chapter Five: Action and Puzzle Games

Chapter Six: Strategy Games

Chapter Seven: Hardware and Collecting

Chapter Eight: Programming for the C64

Chapter Nine: The Commodore Lives On!

Introduction

“Why bother with an obsolete computer?”

I was asked that question by an acquaintance shortly after starting an 8-bit Commodore-centric retro computing site several years ago. It was a fair query that set my mind to spinning. What was it about the Commodore 64 that kept me coming back for more, decades after I’d transitioned away to other computers and operating systems for day to day use?

It was only after immersing myself in the still vital Commodore fan community that the answer became clear to me. The “C64” had survived beyond its original hardware and was the key to an immense repository of human creativity. Over the years it had become much more than an assemblage of parts and circuits in a bull-nosed brown plastic case. It was what people had created around the C64 that drove me to write about it, not the old computer itself.

My desire to write about all things Commodore continues. The rich tapestry of creativity that I have become so familiar with is something that I want to share with others. If there are those who consider the C64 a relic of an era lost to the mists of time (and perhaps better left there), then I want to prove otherwise.

Even those like me who used the C64 daily during its heyday might only be aware of a tiny fraction of the programs that collectors continue to find and archive to this day. Others may know nothing of C64 music “remixes” or games and other applications that are still developed and sold for use with the C64 and even the VIC-20.

My goal is to set you on your own path of discovery, a “walkabout” of sorts where you can experience the C64 for yourself. Trace my journey, but make it your own. In the pages ahead I’ll introduce programs and games that are worth your time and attention, including several unusual ones that have not been extensively reviewed elsewhere. I will discuss the advantages of emulation and hardware, but will assume that you are starting with little or no existing hardware, so emulation will be my primary focus.

I also had the good fortune to be able to include in the following chapters a number of interviews with C64 and VIC-20 programmers, developers, and musicians that should be of interest to C64 veterans and new fans alike.

You will get the most out of this book if you have access to a personal computer of some sort while you are reading, preferably with a live connection to the Internet. In some spots I will provide hyperlinks for tools, games, and other sites. In some sections I will expect that you are following along, or at least plan to click on the links later. As the years go on and this book ages, some of these links may no longer be valid but you should be able to find the same or similar content with well-chosen key words in a search.

This is the third edition of the book I have written to keep up with the times. It may seem odd for a book about using a computer from decades ago to require updating, but much of the content in this book revolves around using that computer today. Progress will continued to be made with emulation and hardware options alike as the years go by, so I have made changes to this book with an emphasis on what should remain more or less constant along with some new content to explore different aspects of retrocomputing on the C64.

If you are inspired by the contents of this book to try out emulation, start your own collection of original Commodore hardware, or otherwise engage in a C64-related hobby, then this book will have succeeded in its aim. This book is for you, and I look forward to seeing you as an active member of the C64 community!

Chapter One:

The C64 Then and Today

The C64’s role as a favored platform for retro computing today dates back to before it was launched. It owes some of its initial success in the marketplace and lasting popularity in part to the brand-building of its predecessor, the Commodore VIC-20. A popular home computer in its own right and a trailblazer for affordable home computing, the VIC-20 was promoted by William Shatner as the “wonder computer of the 1980s” back when owning a home computer was not something taken for granted. It was an entirely different sort of machine from the PET series of business computers for which Commodore was known. Offered at a low sale price as an entry-level color home computer with gaming capabilities, it was part of the first wave of “computers for the masses.”

From my perspective as a proud owner of a new VIC-20 at the time, the computer offered something I had never seen before. Its shortcomings, including a 22-column screen and only 5K of memory, were not as apparent to me as a former user of an Atari 2600 game console. The graphics of the VIC-20, as crude as they might look today, were impressive for a relatively inexpensive home computer of its day. The productivity tools that my father bought also revealed it to be much more than just a game machine with a keyboard, but the color graphics and the unusual white and cyan colors from the “READY” prompt hinted at a more lighthearted and “fun” approach to computing than what was the norm in the drab black and green screens of other computer heavyweights of the day. Commodore offered software titles that ranged from home inventory management to keyboard-driven text adventures. They attempted to appeal to everyone, and based on the good sales numbers at the time (as the first computer to break 1 million in sales [1]) they succeeded. The Adventureland text adventure cartridge was one of my first games for the VIC-20. It forced me to use my imagination and logic and familiarized me with a computer keyboard. Adventureland was a welcome change from joystick-driven arcade games that while enjoyed by many, for me were rarely more than a momentary diversion.

The VIC-20 also gave owners the tools to create their own programs right out of the box with BASIC, available moments after turning their computers on. This was a common feature of home computers in the 1980s, though not all computers had this capability. Educational aids such as Commodore’s Introduction to Basic encouraged owners to learn how to make their own programs for the VIC-20. It may not have been intentional, but Commodore was helping to create a generation of programmers familiar with BASIC programming and hungry to create their own games and utilities. For me, the knowledge gained from how computers work would serve as a gateway to getting a job in the computer-related industry many years later.

With only 5K of on board memory, however, the VIC-20 was full of promises that were difficult to deliver out of the box. The best programs would require cartridges housing additional memory. Complicating matters further, Commodore offered multiple sizes of RAM memory for their expansion cartridges, so developers of cassette-based software titles that required 16K memory expansion cartridges to run could not sell their programs to VIC-20 owners with 3K or 8K memory cartridges. Commodore managed to get around this memory limitation for games they offered by putting programs on ROM cartridges. Even Scott Adams’ text adventures, like the aforementioned Adventureland, had to be developed to run on 16K ROM cartridges because 5K of RAM (only 3.5K usable after start up) was just not enough memory to load and run the games from cassette.

A VIC-20 cartridge-based text adventure game and memory expansion cartridge

For these reasons and more, the VIC-20 was overshadowed only two years after its initial launch by the appearance of its much better-equipped younger brother, the Commodore 64. With roughly ten times the available memory and nearly double the usable screen width of the VIC-20, along with other impressive features such as the SID sound chip, the C64 was an instant hit. It sold a staggering 400,000 units a month during its peak years. To this day it is the best-selling single computer model of all time, having sold up to seventeen million units from 1982 to 1994. Estimates of how many were sold range widely from 12.5 to 30 million units, though there is no disputing the fact that on the whole it outsold any single model of computer from its competitors.[2]

For many owners the Commodore 64 was little more than a gaming console with a keyboard. It certainly had all of the features of a game system. The C64 boasted sprites, 16 colors, two joystick ports, and great sound from the SID 6581 synthesizer sound chip. These features separated the C64 from much more expensive computers like the Apple IIe that my friend owned with a simple black and green monitor and unimpressive “bloop-bleep!” sounds. It also made the C64 a viable replacement for an aging game console.

Making the upgrade to a C64 was easy for VIC-20 owners. Many peripherals developed for the VIC-20 were compatible with the C64, from printers such as the MPS-801 printer to the Commodore and off-brand “datasette” tape drives and even the 1541 floppy disk drive. The tape drive was an obvious “bridge” device between the computers and early C64 games in the U.S. were often offered in a tape format. Joysticks were “Atari”-type and universal as well between the two systems (though the C64 notably added a second joystick port). There were exceptions to the compatibility in some devices like the VIC-1540 drive which had an issue with timing and the C64’s video chip, but in general, at least in the early 1980s, one could be sure that at least some of what had been purchased for use with a VIC-20 could carry over to the C64. Some of this was apparent in the naming of peripherals used with the C64 such as the shared “VICModem.”

My family was one of those that transitioned from VIC-20 to Commodore 64. After owning the VIC-20 for only a year and a half or so, the affordable C64’s specs were too tempting to pass up. The cassette drive, joystick, and a cable or two were able to make the transition from use with the VIC-20 to the new C64. The cartridges were of a different size (the VIC-20’s were about twice the width), and backwards compatibility was extremely limited between the two computers, so no software followed to my C64. The VIC-20 computer itself ended up in its original box in my closet, mostly forgotten.

We were not alone. Commodore delivered on the promise of a powerful platform for home computing and gaming with prices only a fraction of what Apple and IBM offered at the time, and people flocked to buy their C64s.

The C64 still holds the record as the best-selling single personal computer of all time

The appeal lasted. Moore’s Law stipulates that technology will improve by leaps and bounds every couple of years (essentially by doubling transistors roughly every 2 years), but the Commodore 64’s popularity continued despite advances in technology. Programmers found creative ways to extend the life of a computer design from 1982 well into the 1990s. In retrospect the length of time the C64 remained viable as a computer and gaming platform is quite impressive. By comparison it is hard to imagine a single model of a mainstream desktop or laptop computer built in 2012 remaining in use in large numbers until 2024. Commodore produced other 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 128, the C16, and the Plus/4, but none of those machines were able to capture the magic of the C64 and its long reign.

During its time on the market, literally thousands of applications and games were developed for the C64. As of this writing, over 21,000 games alone are listed at a popular database for C64 games titled “Gamebase 64,” with more than 15,000 titles available for download.

Eventually however, technological progress caught up with the C64. As it approached the mid-1990s it was unable to match the day to day productivity demands of computer users, and C64 games ended up looking old compared to the CD-based “multimedia” PC games that were on the rise (though in retrospect a bit of a fad). Impressive efforts that had kept the C64 relevant like the windowed desktop of GEOS eventually felt sluggish compared to the new wave of personal computers based on IBM’s architecture. The size of programs also became an issue. Software released for multiple platforms during the C64’s latter days such as Origin’s Knights of Legend required several tedious disk swaps during play. Even the best tricks and programming techniques began to reach their limits when it came to such multi-platform releases. For many previous C64 owners, the once dominant and best-selling computer was pushed aside, tucked away in the attic, tossed out in the trash, or sold off in garage sales. Microsoft, Apple, and IBM claimed victory in the computer wars, and Commodore computers were largely forgotten on the scrap heap of history as financial woes caused Commodore Business Machines to declare bankruptcy in 1994. This combined with the apparent prevalence of Apple computers in the publishing industry led to a narrative of personal computing history that plays up icons of the industry like Steve Jobs and ignores the accomplishments of Commodore’s Jack Tramiel, along with competitors Tandy, Atari, and Texas Instruments, or marginalized them as footnotes in history.[3]

My family upgraded to a PC and gave away our Commodore 64 and software while I was off at a university in Japan. As a result, I had nothing left from that era of computing when I returned to the USA. Access to much of what was produced on the Commodore 64 required actual hardware to enjoy again. Once the “C64” was taken off of the market, the opportunities for most people to enjoy C64-specific content were also taken away.

That was the case at least until emulation of the Commodore 64 became widely accessible.

The Emulation Alternative

As the years passed by and Commodore hardware on the desktops of computer users became scarce, owning original hardware also ceased to be a requirement for those who sought to rediscover Commodore computing. Emulation allowed those like me to enjoy Commodore 64 programs on a wide variety of modern computers. For an experienced Commodore user like myself, that meant that as soon as the late 1990s I was able once again to run Commodore 64 programs on a modern Windows-based PC without owning physical copies of C64 hardware or software. I scoured the Internet and found several sites that offered everything I needed to enjoy C64 programs that I missed along with many that I had never seen before. It eventually became a ritual of mine to install a Commodore emulator on every new computer or device that I owned which supported emulation.

Frodo, one of the first C64 emulators I used before switching to VICE

It was around 2005 when I recommended that a friend try out an old C64 program with an emulator. He was lost. “Too complicated,” he replied. He knew how to install and run PC games, but he had no patience to learn how to load C64 games on an emulator. I insisted that it was easy, but he wasn’t convinced. I looked for a simple online guide to help him get set up, but was unable to find anything useful for an emulation novice. Sites that were Commodore-related seemed almost intentionally difficult for the novice to penetrate, as if hoarding knowledge would be of some benefit to the hoarders. I put myself in his shoes and I realized that very few Commodore computer-related resources that were friendly to people looking to learn more about or reconnect with their passion for Commodore 8-bit computers. Excellent sites such as the Commodore 64 Scene Database (CSDb) were geared toward experienced Commodore users and expected visitors to be previous C64 owners.

In my quest to make the C64 more accessible, I started a blog on C64 retro computing in 2008 called the “C64Walkabout” with the intent of introducing or re-introducing the C64 to as many people as possible. The blog approach worked for a time until I realized that all of the educational articles I wrote had to repeat much of the same information as the site structure forced old posts into an archive, never to be seen again except by the most motivated of visitors to the site. It occurred to me that a book approach would be the best way to get all of the tips, tricks, and advice into an easy to consume format, which could later be supplemented by files hosted online and online videos.

PC/MS-DOS and other platforms

When someone already has a game in mind from the 1980s that they want to download and try out, the first impulse might be to go with a program that they assume will be the most compatible with the hardware they are currently running. For PC users running a recent version of Microsoft Windows, the assumption might be that downloading an old MS-DOS title and running it in a popular emulation program called DOSBox would be the path of least resistance. This might be a logical assumption, but it is often wrong, unless one is willing to pay money to purchase a title that is available pre-configured to run properly on a modern computer.

One might even try to run the game directly from a DOS prompt with mixed results depending on the version of Windows. Speed and sound problems could result unless some type of CPU speed limiter is used.

There are quite a few examples of how running the Commodore 64 version of a given utility or game simply makes more sense. Why not go with the “PC version” when you’re running a program on what’s technically a “PC,” you ask?

Well, to get the best results with an MS-DOS game you are likely going to need what amounts to an emulator anyway, and getting DOS games to run in emulation can be a complicated and tricky affair. Generally it is not as easy as selecting “Autostart Disk/Tape Image” in VICE. Manipulation of configuration files can be required hurdles to enjoyment for a DOS program. That’s not to say there aren’t ample guides available on how to get things working, but typically you’ll need to do so on a game-by-game basis due to hardware configuration concerns that were important in the old days such as sound cards, for example.

The majority of Commodore 64 programs, on the other hand, run easily in the popular VICE emulator without much or any pre-configuration necessary. If you associate C64 disk and tape images with your emulator program (I’ll show you how to do this later), running them can be as simple as double clicking on a .D64 file.

One reason for the lack of simplicity of getting MS-DOS titles to run in an emulator is due to the varied PC configurations that were possible on that platform over the years. The Commodore 64, by contrast, remained largely the same for over a decade. For this reason, with the exception of a few niche programs, there is not much to configure unless you want to play games from a different region of the world such as on the European “PAL” standard, and even in the case of PAL games your C64 emulator will usually handle that with little or no work required from you.

Another thing to keep in mind is that around the time the Commodore 64 was launched, the IBM PC was an expensive business computer that was not designed for running games or playing music out of the box, at least not to the degree that the Commodore 64 or Atari 800 home computers were, for example.

The colors of the PC back in the early 80s were also limited and poor, resulting in the nickname I like to use: the “IBM Purple Cyan (PC).” The three main colors of purple, cyan and white, on a black background, dominated the typical PC game screen in the PC’s CGA graphics mode. Sound was generally a very poor “PC speaker” emission of harsh bleeps, ticks, and bloops, or nothing at all. This criticism applies to most early MS-DOS games. Although expansion cards and changes to the PC architecture improved sound and video eventually over the years and dealt with these shortcomings, when it came to gaming, the Commodore 64 often had the advantage, at least up until the late 1980s.

The Ultima series is a great example of how C64 emulation is superior to the MS-DOS/DOSBox experience, at least for the first few games in the series. You get more colors than the PC’s limited purple, white, cyan, and black. You also get great music for Ultima III , IV, and V (for music in Ultima V, use the Commodore 128 emulator option included with VICE).

Commodore 64 game (top) compared to the PC/DOS version (bottom)

This is not to say that MS-DOS emulation does not have its place. It does, especially when there is a unique title that can only be enjoyed on MS-DOS, and later in the life of the PC prior to the widespread adoption of Windows for gaming. I used to be an MS-DOS user myself for a time, and there are a few old PC-only titles from the early 1990s that I’d love to try again. Most of the time, however, I cannot not be bothered to deal with the required steps for configuration, and will look for the C64 version of a game instead, or go to an excellent pay-for resource like GOG.com. Good Old Games has many of the best old MS-DOS titles pre-configured and patched running DOSBox behind the scenes so you don't even realize you are running anything other than a modern application. My typical break point for loading and enjoying PC/MS-DOS titles was when the PC had advanced technologically and corresponding titles were no longer offered for the C64. Ultima VII, for example was not offered on the C64. Getting Ultima VII’s “voodoo memory manager” to work in DOSBox requires tweaking a configuration file, for example, but I have no C64 version of the game to fall back on in that case. The simplest way out of that headache is to pay a few dollars to a site like GOG and get a version that works fine in modern Windows along with a slew of “extras” such as scans of artwork, maps, PDF manuals, and clue books.

So why discuss MS-DOS titles in a C64 book? The most obvious reason is if you want to make the logical jump from where the C64 left off. And if you are a solid Commodore fan you’ll note that Commodore’s own Amiga offers that transition to better graphical or sound experience in the early 90s. Getting (back) into the Amiga is easier if you use a program like Cloanto’s Amiga Forever. Of course it’s worth noting that there were several years when the Amiga and the Commodore 64 had an overlap in the marketplace, so you might have games for both those systems to choose from depending on your preference, wallet, and tolerance for a learning curve. Personally I find the C64 to be easier to work with both in hardware and emulation, but a person who grew up on an Amiga might feel differently.

What if you’re someone with arcade (Pac Man) fever? If all you want is to play a simple shooting game, a game console emulator like MESS might be a better choice if you can locate the required files to get the games to run properly. If you are really into the Ultima series and can read Japanese like I can (to help navigate the Japanese emulator Unz, for example) you might choose the Fujitsu FM-Towns versions of those games on CD images and switch over to the available English mode with full speech for all characters. But when it comes to most games made for home computers of the 80s, the ease of loading and running programs in C64 emulation is hard to beat.

The 8-bit Atari systems (Atari 400/800, XE, etc.) compare favorably in some instances to the C64. There are a few cases where you might want to try emulation for the Atari 400/800. Specific games such as Hellfire Warrior, a Dunjonquest title and sequel to the Temple of Asphai, were never released for the C64. The Atari 800 WinPlus is a fine emulator I’ve used, but depending on the emulator you may encounter the pain of having to search out a proper BIOS file before you can even launch it properly. That is something that you don’t usually have to deal with on C64 emulation, with the notable exception of some emulators for Linux.

Perhaps the best reason to start right now enjoying 80s home computer emulation on the C64 versus any other platform is that it is a great gateway to using more complicated or obscure emulators for other systems. Once you know you know your way around VICE, for example, you can give unique programs for systems like the TRS-80 or TI-99/4A a try.

C64 Retro Computing Today

Unless you were given this book as a gift, you probably need no convincing of the value of C64 retro computing, be it through emulation or hardware. If you are trying to convince others to join you in your hobby, however, you might meet some expected resistance. Perhaps like me, you’ve heard people ask questions like: “Those games are so outdated. Why mess around with old games with terrible graphics when you could be playing Halo XX instead?” The irony is that such comments directed my way have come from people who like card games, old board games, model trains, vintage vinyl records, or only mildly physical games like horseshoes or darts.

The model train comparison is an appropriate one. Just because a new train set has come onto the market does not mean that an old train set from 30 years ago cannot be enjoyed equally for what it is. The C64, like a vintage train set, has its own charms that anyone can appreciate, with or without nostalgia being part of the motivation.

The arguments for and benefits of being a C64 retro computing enthusiast do not end with games, either. Old music and art programs can be utilized to this day to add retro flair to a modern work. I’ve seen visitors post at C64 forums looking for “C64 pixel artists” to design something with an 80s computer look. Writing a program within the limited resources of a computer from 1982 or finding creative new uses for old hardware can also be challenging and fun.

There are many reasons that I recommend retro computing on the C64 as a hobby to others. Emulation is a great way to get started. I’ll list some of them here in the hopes that they will help you to sway your friends to join in the fun!

- Cost: Making use of productivity, music, and art utilities and playing thousands of Commodore 64 games in an emulator is usually free. Most personal computer hardware from 2000 on should be capable of running a decent emulator, and some dusty old components like a forgotten USB game pad may see new life as well in an emulation setup. An old laptop with an outdated version of Windows can be re-used as well since the technical requirements for emulation are generally low.

- Screen Real Estate: C64 games and apps can be windowed or tabbed in most operating systems and easily paused. As such they can be pushed to the background while you surf the Web, chat, read a scanned copy of an original manual for a program, or otherwise multitask.

- Hard Drive space and file management: C64 games do not require installation. Depending on the emulator you may be able to run the executable without installing, either.

- Casual gameplay: Enjoying C64 games is more convenient on an emulator today than it ever was on the original hardware. Saved states allow one to jump into a quick session of whatever game it is you may want to play without long load times or needing to keep the session up and running.

- Platform independence: Emulators for running C64 software exist for Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and other operating systems. Into the foreseeable future I would expect all new major OSs to have at least one functional C64 emulator.

- A return to simplicity, and for some, nostalgia: While not unique to the C64, some enjoy 8-bit games because they often emphasized innovative gameplay within technical limitations over the blur of dazzling graphics seen in many games today. The popularity of modern “indie games” with a retro flair reflects this desire to return to visually simple and creative gaming roots. Some may also enjoy the simplicity of coding in BASIC or making C64 chiptunes, especially if they had some experience doing so back in the day.

- Unusual and niche titles abound: C64 Retro computing offers up a wide range of games and applications including educational programs and niche use utilities that can be surprisingly relevant to this day. Need to write a simple random name generator from a list of names that you’ve chosen? CBM BASIC is good for that sort of thing.

- Unique sounds and art: Creating images using the color and resolution limitations of the C64 make for art with a distinct C64 style. Similarly, the SID synthesizer chip inside the C64 is still valued for its unique sound by musicians today, especially those involved in the C64 “remix” scene.

- Uncommonly Secure: Do you have a need to keep some aspect of your computing activities, whether they be gaming or productivity-related, secure or secret? Working with files in an emulator creates another layer that hackers are unlikely to immediately recognize as anything they'd want to hack into. Unlike some gaming platforms like Steam, you can also keep your gaming hours and activities private. If you use a real C64, even with modern peripherals like an SD-card floppy drive simulator, you can still work with modern tools while effectively “air-gapping” your computer from prying eyes on the Internet.

Ultimately, enjoying retrocomputing on the C64 is matter of personal taste. It is a hobby of choice like racing RC cars or collecting and listening to vintage music records. There are plenty of free software titles out there for Windows-based PCs and the Macintosh, and browser-based games keep getting better. The key behind enthusiasm for Commodore 8-bit computers is in the distinct look, feel, sound, and communities of people passionate about different aspects of all things Commodore.

With an active fan base behind Commodore 8-bit computers, the opportunities for enjoyment continue to expand. New hardware components mix recent technology with the old, for example, allowing the C64 to interface with modern devices. Developing your own new hardware for the C64 platform can be a satisfying hobby in itself for a hardware tinkerer.

An adventure is waiting for you. You have only to jump in to experience it!

Chapter Two:

Emulation

Unless you are lucky enough to have a working Commodore 64 with a functional disk or tape drive, along with a box of program floppies or tapes lying around (or the odd cartridge), chances are you’re going to need an emulator or at least some dabbling in emulation to experience the vast library of programs made for the C64. For that reason I’ll cover emulation before getting into the hardware.

If you see the word “emulator” and feel intimidated, you should know that there is nothing complex or scary about emulation today. If you can install and run a program or app, you can easily load and run a C64 game via an emulator. In fact, emulation lowers the bar significantly for the enjoyment of C64 programs when compared even to the original hardware. The latest versions of emulators such as VICE and C64 Forever continue to improve by adding features for ease of use. One such enhancement automatically speeds up the load and run time by engaging a “Warp Mode” that reverts back to normal speed once a program has finished loading. This is after bypassing the normal LOAD“*”,8,1 one had to type to load the first program on a disk. You may also choose from a wide variety of simulated accessories or expansions, and you can even change your model of C64 from a U.S. market model to a PAL European one with a few clicks.

You can see already how emulation allows one to try things that might be cost-prohibitive in the hardware-based world. For example, it allows you to work with four virtual disk drives if you so choose, to create an unlimited number of new floppy images, to choose change the model of sound chip, emulate a lightpen, mouse, or joystick, and easy access to thousands of software programs and games. You’ll never have to worry about a drive going out of alignment, a power supply failing, or the deterioration of media.

Of course there will always be the odd peripheral, utility, or game that is not yet available in the emulated world of the C64, and some peripherals like a robotic arm or ComputerEyes by Digital Vision may never be emulated since they require physical interaction with the real world to work (though I could see an example like ComputerEyes being simulated with a modern webcam).

Emulation can be enjoyed along with hardware and media collection and use as well. It’s not an either-or choice. One could use original hardware in the process of archiving an old rare piece of software and then run that title (which only existed on a very old floppy, for example) using emulation.

In this chapter you’ll learn how easy basic emulation can be, and a number of ways to approach it. Even if you have more of an interest in the hardware side of things, there are hybrid approaches that can be taken between the digital world of today and the hardware of yesterday that will make being familiar with aspects of emulation like manipulating disk images important to you.

Your choice of operating system and personal taste can be deciding factors in the Commodore 8-bit emulator that you ultimately install, but for the sake of this book I will stick primarily to a popular emulator called VICE for most of my examples. VICE is free software that runs on a wide array of operating systems. It also is the basis of Cloanto’s C64 Forever application which I will discuss later. Currently I run VICE on several flavors of Windows. I have also installed VICE in Linux, a topic that I will cover later in this chapter. If you are a Mac user, you may find that there are better emulator options that are not free. Similarly, for Android tablets or other platforms you may discover an emulator other than VICE is more suitable. For example, in 2016 I found that Frodo, a relatively old emulator title from the Windows side, is actually superior in some ways in its Android version. Although every emulator has its own quirks and differences, with some much easier to use or less prone to issues than others, they all operate on the same basic principle of simulating a Commodore 64 (either in a window or in full screen mode) on your modern computer or device.

If you are new to the C64 or if it has been a long time since you’ve owned one, some of the concepts surrounding the physical C64 might be a bit confusing, Without getting too bogged down in details, there are important things to know that will help make sense when navigating an emulator:

1. The C64 had had two popular types of drive devices: a floppy drive, and a tape drive. It also had a slot for cartridges and a slot for another communications device like a modem (user port). Much of the vast libraries of disks and tapes for the C64 have been converted to digital format, as disk and tape “images.” The images of the floppies and tapes available around the Internet are commonly saved in.D64 and .T64 (or “.TAP”) file formats respectively, though there are other formats. Some sites inaccurately call the images “roms,” a generic term popularized with game console cartridge images. The typical .D64 image will only have a single program to load, making the “Auto Start Disk/Tape Image” option in VICE all you will need to get started with most games and utilities. I’ll explain how to deal with multiple disk programs and multiple programs on single disks later in this chapter.

2. The C64 had two Joystick ports, and joysticks were not only used for games. To fully enjoy C64 emulation, I strongly recommend that you buy a cheap USB game controller. Logitech makes decent and affordable gamepads. You might even pick up two if you want to enjoy two player C64 games with friends. There are a few key reasons why you’ll want a USB controller. For one thing, the cursors keys on a keyboard are not forgiving at all for making diagonal jumps in platform type games, or to keep up with the hectic pace of some other popular action games. It was also common for other types of programs, like graphics manipulation tools, to use the joystick as a mouse equivalent. Again, the keyboard will lack the accuracy and ease of a gamepad for such applications.

It is important to note for emulation purposes that game developers for the C64 seemed to change the primary joystick port on a whim. Because of this, after you set up your USB gamepad, you may need to go to the Options menu in your emulator on occasion and “Swap Joysticks.” If you have two gamepads already, you can just leave each one designated to its own port and try your other gamepad.

If you want more authenticity in your emulation, some retailers offer classic joysticks with a USB interface. The Atari style ones will work fine, but if you look around, you may be able to find a “Competition Pro” style of USB joystick that is modeled after a design that was popular on the C64.

I’ll write more about this later in this book, but you may encounter a couple of challenges if you choose to go with emulation on touch tablets or smart phones. Without a physical joystick or game pad, accuracy of joystick control and response is completely up to the ability of the emulator to effectively track your desired moves. Keyboard input can also be difficult if an on-screen keyboard must share the same space as your screen and block your view of the C64 display, forcing you to constantly toggle the on-screen keyboard off and on again to enter text during your use of a program. The other option is often a very small C64 emulation window at the top and a virtual keyboard at the bottom that eats up much of your tablet screen real estate. This problem can be mitigated by the use of an external physical keyboard such as a wired USB or bluetooth keyboard. The trade off of course is portability, and if your emulator has a decent transparent virtual keyboard or a great simulated joystick, such hardware options may not be necessary. As of this edition of the book, however, I still find a real keyboard and joystick or gamepad far superior to touch-screen controls in C64 emulators today.

An external keyboard attached to an Android Tablet via a physical cable.

3. The Snapshot option in VICE is your friend. A snapshot captures the memory in your emulator and freezes it, allowing you to save the state of memory to a file. If the game you are playing offers a save mode, by all means, use it. Sometimes it is simpler and easier, however, to use the snapshot mode to jump back in to wherever you were in a game, or to help with completing a difficult level. It’s a convenience real C64 users back in the 1980s never had. Snapshots also save load times and allow you to bypass annoying introduction screens. Sometimes I’ll save a snapshot image of a frequently used program once everything has loaded, and open the snapshot instead of auto-loading the program.

Remember that if you are using a snapshot that you’ll still want to attach the appropriate disk image for the program in case the emulator needs to load something else from it. Usually programs will remind you to insert a disk, but some simple or primitive ones might exit on an error if the disk is missing from the drive when the program tries to access it.

The snapshot feature in VICE

4. Warp Mode is great! A real C64 would typically take several minutes to load a program from disk or tape. Warp Mode allows you to fast forward that load time so it completes in seconds, sometimes almost immediately, instead, by speeding things up. Warp Mode is useful beyond reducing the initial load time. It is also helpful to toggle it on and off again when dealing with some multi-disk games that require frequent disk swaps and long load times. With the power to speed things up you no longer need to go for a coffee break after inserting (“attaching”) another disk!

5. Double the size of the emulator screen or stretch it to an appropriate size. Unless you have very low video resolution set on your computer, the C64 viewing window is likely to be very small by default. This is because in true pixel terms, the C64 used far less than today’s PCs to fill a screen. You can also use full-screen mode (especially if you’re playing a 2-player game), but if you prefer to multitask as I do, then Double Size in the Options menu should do nicely.

6. If a program fails to load, check your Video Standard in the Option menu. PAL is the European standard, and NTSC is the American one. If a game was only released in the US, you may need to switch to NTSC for it to load and run properly, or vice versa. Enabling “True Drive Emulation” may also help a program that fails to load.

7. Save your settings! The last thing you want to do is get your custom settings in place only to find them gone the next time you use VICE. So opt for “Save Settings on Exit.”

A few of the useful options in the VICE emulator

Emulation as easy as 1-2-3-4

There are a few basic things you’ll need to enjoy C64 emulation:

1. A modern computer with an operating system such Windows 7, XP, or Mac’s OS X. (Linux users see the following section, “Adventures with Linux”).

2. A program installed that is capable of extracting files compressed in ZIP format such as WinRAR or 7-Zip. ( http://www.7-zip.org/ )

3. An emulator. We'll use the popular VICE emulator for this example. Download the “Binary for MS Windows,” from the VICE site at vice-emu.sourceforge.net . Save the file to your desktop and open it. Extract the contents to a folder on your desktop by right clicking on the zip file and selecting “Extract to … ”

4. A .D64 or T64 image file. If you don’t have one, go to a site such as GB64.com or CSDb and search for Hawkeye. Download the zip file from the “Latif” link near the bottom of the screen, and extract the file “Hawkeye0.D64.” Place the file somewhere obvious. Inside your WinVICE folder, for example, in a subfolder you can create called “Disk and Tape Images”. This .D64 files is a disk image for an action game. Essentially it’s like having a virtual copy of an old floppy disk.

If you prefer something simpler that requires only a keyboard, search for and download the edutainment title: Double Feature – Haunted House from the GB64 site and extract the contents.

Optional, but highly recommended on a PC:

- An inexpensive USB Game Pad OR you may even find a retro Atari or Competition Pro-style USB joystick.

- Sound available through speakers or headphones.

How to Play:

1. Open up your VICE folder on your Desktop (or where you extracted it).

2. Double-click on the x64.exe icon in the folder – this will bring up the WinVICE emulator program.

3. Click on File, then on Autostart Disk/Tape Image.

4. Select the “Hawkeye0.D64” file from the zip file you downloaded and extracted in step 4 in “What you’ll need” above. Click on “Attach” and wait a few seconds while the program loads.

The game should have loaded. Hit “return” or the space bar to bypass any introductory screens and get into the game itself. If you have a USB gamepad in port 2, you can then hit the fire button to begin (see more below on how to quickly configure your joystick device). Hawkeye is a platform shooter. Keep moving to the right, shoot and jump from one platform to the next to stay alive. Don’t let anything hit you!

If you chose Haunted House in step 4, then follow the procedure above but choose “DOUBLEF1.D64” instead. The game is very easy to follow. Note that the Commodore symbol key (for “quit”) is mapped to the left Ctrl key on your PC keyboard.

Go to “Settings” in the toolbar of VICE, then “Joystick Settings.” If you are using a standard full-size PC keyboard, and not a Joystick, choose “Joystick in Port #1,” then Numpad + R Ctrl. This selects the Numpad on the right of your keyboard for directional movement, with the right Ctrl key under your right Shift key as the “Fire” button.

Go to Settings again and check “Save Settings on Exit.”  (IMPORTANT! If you forget this step you’ll have to change your settings from the defaults every time you open VICE.)

With those steps alone you will be able to enjoy C64 programs. You may wish to go to “Options” next and select “Double Size” unless you have a very low resolution set on your Windows PC.

If you associate D64 and T64 files with the x64.exe file in your VICE folder, you can skip the step of extracting D64 files from the compressed archives they typically come in (either ZIP or 7z). That said, it’s worth extracting the files into a folder if you plan to save game progress or save artwork, for example. I usually do this and leave the compressed archive as a backup original in the same folder.

If you pick up a USB game pad or joystick, select the device in the drop down menu under “Joystick Settings.” Remember that other games may use Port #2 as the default, in which case you can use “Swap Joystick” to swap the port under Options in VICE. Look for the little plus signs in the lower right near “Joystick”. Try operating your joystick with your new settings and you’ll see small green indicator lights that the virtual joystick is moving. The same goes for your key settings that can be swapped. If you notice your fire button and movement are not working on a new game you’re playing for the first time, try the “Swap Joystick” option and things should work again. If you keep your USB joystick plugged in to a free port on the back of your PC, you won’t have to restart VICE to detect it.

If you don’t have a USB game pad and don’t plan to buy one, you can use the cursor keys or the numpad on your PC’s keyboard, but the experience will be less than optimal if the program requires frequent diagonal movement.

I suggest that you go into your VICE folder, right click the x64.exe icon, and select “Create Shortcut.” Drag the shortcut you created to your desktop or other easily accessible menu, and you’ll have quick access to your VICE emulator without digging through the VICE folder every time.

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll want to associate all .D64 and .T64 disk and tape images with WinVICE so that clicking on those files will automatically launch your emulator, even when the D64 or T64 files are still contained in an archive. Since VICE is typically not typically “installed” like other Windows programs but rather runs directly as an executable, it takes a little extra push from you to get it set up right. In Windows, just right click the .D64 game file you downloaded, and choose “Open” (or “Open With”). To select the program, browse to the WinVICE folder on your desktop and find the x64.exe file as you did with the shortcut. Check the box at the bottom that reads “Always Open Files of this Type with This Program.” This will allow you or someone less PC savvy (like your child) to run the game files from any location simply by double-clicking on them. This avoids the two-step method of opening WinVICE and selecting the file. Note however there may be times when you want to open a specific file on a disk image, and in that case you would not necessarily want to autorun the first program on the disk image.

If you’ll take the time to follow the steps and recommendations above (assuming you haven’t already), the following chapters in this book will be much more enjoyable and interactive.

C64 Forever

C64 Forever is an application that makes Commodore 64 emulation more accessible to a wider audience. It is a fine integration of emulation, program file management, pre-installed programs, and documentation in a slick package.

If you are new or returning to the Commodore 64 and emulation, C64 Forever is a perfect way to get your feet wet. It’s also a good tool on which to build your collection. The interface makes getting a program up and running as easy as playing a music file. C64 Forever also makes file management and using things like joysticks or mice with C64 programs even easier than relying on a straightforward emulator like VICE not only because there is less hunting around the options in VICE each time you play a game, but because configuration settings for each program are made for each program you add to C64 Forever. Many of these are already figured out for you, so you don't have to discover through trial and error which joystick port is the default for a particular game, or which file is set for PAL video.

Programs are listed with screenshots and other information, making it simple to find the game or application you are looking for at a glance. C64 Forever comes with its own decent and large selection of games included. These are mostly action fare like you'd see on a console system, but there are some excellent titles in the mix like Cybernoid. I also found a few neat games that I had never tried before such as Bombo, a fun one that my daughter enjoyed with me, and a title that I recognized from a C64 music remix.

If you are a long time user of VICE or another C64 emulator and used to constantly tweaking a myriad of advanced settings like processor speed or window size to get precisely the experience you need in a very particular way, then C64 Forever might not be for you. Then again, if you want certain settings to always be in place for a particular program or have multiple systems like I do, you may find that C64 Forever is the perfect solution. It’s a nice package of games in any case just to install on your media PC hooked up to your TV, for example, or on a secondary system where you just want to enjoy C64 programs with minimum hassle. Since I am of two minds when it comes to enjoying C64 emulation I use C64 Forever alongside VICE and other C64 emulation tools.

Here’s an example of how C64 Forever can help make things simpler: Go to the C64 Forever website and download the free version. Right click on a program in the list, and the “Edit” selection will pop up. Click on that and you'll see multiple tabs to configure the title and how it launches or plays. You can even add a title that is not recognized with whatever details fit, then submit it to the C64 Forever database with the click of a single button. You can make submissions anonymously or with your e-mail address.

Some of these features may change or new ones may get added as the years go by. The last version I installed as of this writing was for 2016.

If you have held back from emulation in general because of concerns over copyright issues (or it just makes you feel icky not to buy something you enjoy that was once, long ago, legitimately for sale), you’ll be happy to know that Cloanto not only has the rights to use the Commodore BIOS files for emulation, but also the permission to distribute all of the included games that come with their software. This is in stark contrast to the typical Commodore emulation setup where “abandonware” is behind the philosophy of file sharing, and concerns of ownership of old software titles are rarely addressed. While the collection of 100+ games and utilities included in Cloanto's C64 Forever are by no means comprehensive (I would like to see more strategy titles and text adventures, for example), it is large enough to keep you entertained for a long time. Consider that a collection of 75+ retro games in a bundle anywhere else alone could easily cost more than the asking price of C64 Forever's full version (not to mention what it would have cost to buy all of those games back in the day), and it's a great deal.

One point I found amusing, however, is that the games in the C64 Forever library are typically cracked! Of course, with the permission of the original software developer this is not an issue, but it is odd to see cracktros in the games with the “Highscore or Trainer?” messages at startup in a legit collection. This is no doubt due to the fact that pirated/cracked versions of many C64 games are often the only versions available in disk or tape image format. On the positive side, the cheats available in the loading screens on some of these may appeal to gamers who find they cannot beat a given game without bending the rules a little.

At its core C64 Forever is both a great front end for using integrated and most recent versions VICE, and the file management in “RP9” packages is a good idea that you can really run with if you like customizing the way each title will load and behave. Cloanto refers to them as .RP9 “files,” but I prefer to think of them as little packages like zip archives that include relevant files, screen shots, and information packed up neatly and cleanly. If you like to organize things (like I do) you'll find the RP9 idea an appealing one. I'm building my own collection. It's easy to import files to the RP9 format. If you have a folder (and sub folders) with many D64 files, the "RP9 Manager" tool will import shared RP9’s using its database. It will place multiple .D64 files into a single .RP9 files automatically. When a program does not yet exist in your (of Cloanto's) library, you can add it along with a screen shot and help text file, or edit and improve what was imported. The help text idea is something that's been missing from the C64 emulation experience until now. Many C64 programs have numerous keyboard commands, and having a file at your fingertips (included in the same RP9 file and available in the interface while you play) makes everything much more accessible. Complex keyboard commands can be included in the help files that takes up little space and exists within the same RP9 file package for each game. Unfortunately the current character count limit on help files is not enough to allow flavor text for games like Temple of Apshai and its copious room descriptions, but something is certainly better than nothing. At least you can see the equivalent of the command card that shipped with the game. No help or instructions provided (as in most files you'd download from GB64, for example) assume the user has a familiarity with the game or utility already, and I never want to make that assumption, or limit the audience of the game in that way. C64 Forever gets around this problem with help files.

C64 Forever has been frequently updated by Cloanto. That is more than can be said for some of the open source emulation efforts or non-commercial donation-based emulators and front ends that may or may not be updated any time within the next year. I've written to one of the developers at Cloanto, and they are clearly dedicated to their product. I've seen it around since 2009 with updates for every year since, the latest in 2016, making it more than a flash in the pan, and longer-lasting than some prior efforts to revive the Commodore brand!

As I mentioned earlier, if you are an advanced user of emulation or you have special requirements for your emulator you may find that you still have a use for VICE even with C64 Forever installed. For example I miss manual window size manipulation from VICE. C64 Forever has added a “3x” window feature, but it seems to rely on a static window frames or a full-screen display. One of the benefits of C64 Forever is that it makes advanced configuration of VICE less of a hassle, but due to the keyboard control settings, for example, my Keyrah device would not work with a version of C64 Forever due to the specific layout of the Keyrah joysticks. You may want to check the full feature set and upgrades/enhancements available today. (Keyrah is a great bit of hardware from Versalia Online that can be housed in a Commodore computer shell - it allows you to salvage and use an actual Commodore 64 keyboard and a pair of real retro Atari/Commodore-style joysticks with a modern PC via USB.)

One of the helpful folks at Cloanto also had a good idea for a workaround. He suggested that I convert the keyboard-based joystick scheme that Keyrah uses into a “real” joystick by using Vjoy Virtual Joystick, a free driver from Headsoft. This worked well when I tried it.

There may be instances where using particular peripherals or disk/tape images will require more direct access to VICE settings than C64 Forever allows (even something like setting a program like Adventure Construction Set to run at 130% emulation speed, for example), but I’ve been mostly happy thus far with C64 Forever’s interface and customization options. The longer I spend using it, in fact, the more of a fan I become. One problem I ran into is not really the fault of C64 Forever, but rather how some disk images are named. Some Origin games, for example, have disks with names like “Disk B” and in VICE I am able to see a preview window of the disk directory showing the the proper name of the disk (“City,” for example). I can’t see that with the simplified disk selection pop out in C64 Forever, though, so I don’t know which disk I need to insert unless I rename the .D64 files that make up a game like Ultima IV Remastered.

I tried the multi-disk game Knights of Legend to see how C64 Forever would handle it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it actually made manipulating multiple disks easier! All files were placed in an encapsulating RP9 file, even the blank character disk I created for the game, so when I went to “Insert a disk” from the C64 Forever menu, I did not have to go file hunting as I usually do in VICE. It was there along with the other 8 (yes you read that right – eight!) program disks. Usually in VICE I have to navigate to a cluttered file folder to find disks for multi-disk games. The files were even easier to select than they would be in, say, a folder of their own due to the way the interface works with a pop-out tab.

I suggest installing C64 Forever on a secondary system such as a laptop or your media center. In a public or shared computer location, C64 Forever fits the bill perfectly. It’s easy for anyone – even a C64 newbie like a family member -- to casually load up and run games with. My daughter at 9 years old had no trouble figuring it out once I taught her how to set the joystick up, and the screen shots are a nice addition. Did I mention you can add your own screen shots for new or unlisted titles?

In a nutshell, C64 Forever makes C64 emulation on a PC accessible and simple -- the way it should be if the Commodore 64 is going to be enjoyed beyond aging and graying C64 loyalists. And that’s why it gets my recommendation as a cool retro product worth supporting in my book (literally!).

You can pick up the free “Express Edition” or order an upgraded copy of C64 Forever at http://www.c64forever.com/ .

Floppy disk images and how to use them

Since C64 emulators are meant to simulate the functionality of original floppy drives, understanding how to manipulate floppy images is helpful for newcomers to the C64. “Autostart Disk/Tape Image” won’t always be enough to enjoy the full selection of C64 titles out there.

As the years went by, many of the more advanced programs for the C64 required multiple floppy disks to store more information. If you download a zipped game file from a site like GB64.com and upon opening it see three .D64 files named DUNGEON1, DUNGEON2, and DUNGEON3, for example, then the program was most likely sold or otherwise distributed with multiple floppy disks. Sometimes a pre-created “user disk” may be included in the archive of .D64 files for a particular game if the person who created that archive felt it would be convenient to include.

In cases such as these, you will need to “attach” the required disk image when prompted by the program or game.

Attaching a disk image in an emulator is the equivalent of inserting a physical floppy disk into a real C64’s disk drive. “Starting” it means the emulator will type in the commands to start the first program on the disk for you. For floppy images (D64 files) the pre-programmed command is LOAD“*”8,1 with 8 representing the device number for the floppy drive. In the early days of C64 emulation a user had to type this in manually, but emulators have since made starting a program much easier. This automatic method usually works, but can be problematic if you rely on it for all images.

It was not uncommon to have more than one “executable” program on a disk. For example, the game The Search for Magdarr requires that you run a program called “PLAYER” to create your characters before running the main program. You can still use the Auto Start method, but you need to pay attention to the “Image Contents” pane at the bottom that shows the directory on the .D64 disk you selected, and highlight the “PLAYER” program first. Auto Start by default chooses the first program (“*”) on the disk, and in the case of this specific game, it would load the main program and leave you with no player characters and no idea of how to create them. If a program doesn’t seem to be working as expected, check the disk directory by clicking File, Attach disk image, and click on the .D64 file. The window “Image Contents” will show you what is on the disk.

The same holds true for disks that are simply a collection of unrelated programs. For example, Compute’s! Gazette released disks as part of a subscription plan that included their type-in programs already made into ready-to-run programs. Each program would be a separate line on the disk, so you need to run that program specifically.

In short, you cannot rely on LOAD”*”,8,1 for every disk-based program for the C64.

Additionally, if the software title uses multiple diskettes, you might need to attach another disk image while playing the game, such as “Ultima5D2.d64” (the second disk of Ultima V, for example).You would then hit the space bar or other indicated key in the game to signal that you have “inserted” the disk. In cases like those, make sure you only use the “Attach” option in the File menu below Auto Start. Choosing Auto Start will reset your C64 and load that second disk (likely resulting in an error).

If you are unsure which disk is required just by the .D64 filenames, attach the D64 image and view the disk contents.  The name of the disk should be in the header of the disk image contents. For example, in Ultima 5, you may be asked to insert the "DUNGEON" disk or the "CASTLE" disk. The .D64 filenames might just be ULTIMA5A, ULTIMA5B, and so on. Clicking on ULTIMA5B and looking at the image contents header will reveal that it is the “DUNGEON” disk. Sometimes this may take a little creative deduction. “SIDE B” of a given disk might be DISK2.D64, for example.

You may also need to create a “user disk” for some programs. In games, this is usually where your player data will be saved. In such cases, use the “New Image” button in the lower portion of the “Attach Disk Image” menu in VICE. Name the image something relevant, such as “U5USER” or something similar to the .D64 disk title, especially if it is in a folder with dozens of other .D64 files. Once you are done creating and naming the file, “attach” it, and it’s as if you placed a blank disk into a real floppy drive. The program should take care of formatting and otherwise preparing your new disk image for use with the game or utility you are using.

The “Attach Disk Image” menu in VICE 3.0 for Windows

GameBase64 Collection

A sure way of getting a huge database of games and everything you need to emulate a C64 onto your computer locally and permanently is to download a compilation such as a torrent for the GameBase64 Collection. You could just as well individually download programs from the "Latif" links at the GameBase64 website and run them in VICE manually, but there are thousands of games there to download. The GameBase front end makes choosing games simple and fun, after you’ve jumped through a couple of setup hoops, that is. In short, the tool lays out all of the games with screen shots and categories so you can browse titles, click, and play.

While the front end for the Game Base is easy enough to locate, you may have to hunt for the actual game files. Last time I tried to find the full gamebase the server was down, so I went in search of a torrent and found it. If you've never downloaded a bit torrent or used another downloading service to obtain files then getting your hands on the GB64 collection may be a bit much for you to swallow right now, but if you have, it is well worth it to Google “GB64 Torrent,” for example. Just as a warning, the file can be huge (over 5 gigabytes, compressed) and could take quite some time to download depending on your connection speed. I also caution against the use of torrent sites which can be misleading or even malicious unless you know what to look for. The GameBase collection, if you can find it, is well worth the hunt however and is filled with photos, SID chiptunes, a variety of emulators, screen shots of thousands of games, documentation, magazine scans, and of course the entire database of GB64 game files. It’s a virtual treasure trove of C64 goodness, and every Commodore collector should download a copy of the latest release, at least for archival purposes.

If torrents are not your thing, or if they’ve become yesterday’s news by the time you read this, you may try to search with alternate methods or locations for file sharing where you may find a copy of the GameBase. It would not surprise me to see something better than the GameBase pop up from another source someday.

Make sure that you download and install the latest version of the GameBase frontend from http://www.bu22.com/. The GameBase 64 frontend was at one point being phased out in favor of a multiple-platform frontend, and it may not be compatible with newer versions of the GameBase, but the “old” front end (if you can still find it) will offer quick access to games in the collection with screen shots and simple execution of programs arranged nicely in a large database window. You’ll find the collection is invaluable as a tool to try out the massive variety of titles one after the other. Some of the games are bolded along with a sound effect to indicate top games. I don’t care for several of the bolded titles myself, but within them you’ll find many of the staples of Commodore 64 gaming.

The GameBase frontend

You may wonder why I wouldn't use the free frontend and massive collection of games from Gamebase 64 instead of C64 Forever. While I do love Gamebase 64's website and find it an invaluable tool for finding games on the go, I must admit that the last version of the GB64 frontend I tried seemed a bit clunky to use and overwhelming in terms of the sheer number of games included. It also was not a breeze to set up on multiple units like C64 Forever is. That, and per GB64's own download site it announced that all support for the Gamebase64 front end would cease, leaving C64 Forever a stronger choice if you want a dedicated, well-maintained platform for the Commodore 64.

Other exciting alternatives from the Gamebase universe do exist, however, including Gamebase20 for the VIC-20 maintained by Mayhem and hosted by Robert Hurst here: http://robert.hurst-ri.us/downloads/.

Browser-based Emulation

Still too intimidated to download an emulator?  Well, there is a quick way to dip your toes into emulation. Thanks to some Java-powered sites, you can play original Commodore 64 games straight from your browser. These sites seem to come and go (or worse yet get replaced by some bizarre NSFW material), so search for Flash or Java-based C64 emulation on the web and you should find something similar.

The available games I’ve seen to date on such sites represent only a tiny fraction of the thousands of C64 games out there, but there are still plenty to try. Those I’ve tried to-date generally worked well for me with keyboard cursor “arrow” controls + ctrl for “fire.” Note that for the games you can even swap “joystick ports” below the screen – but you cannot use a real controller like a game pad and must use the arrow keys instead. You may need to update your browser with the latest version of Java, Flash, or some other multimedia platform to enjoy these games in a browser, and these may not perform well or load at all on a smartphone OS-based browser.

The problem with browser-based emulation is that it typically does not offer save game functionality or the ability to load from multiple disks. It is best for simple action games played as a short diversion, like vertically-scrolling shooting games that require only left-right+fire as controls. If your only exposure to C64 emulation is through simplistic games in a browser window and you enjoyed what you tried, you owe it to yourself to go one step further and enjoy a vast array of titles available through dedicated emulation software.

Another possibility would be to host your own web page with Java-based C64 emulation to add to the community. If you are interested in doing this, check out JaC64 at Sourceforce where it is billed as: “A Java-based Commodore 64 emulator. Runs most of C64 games and many demos. Emulates CPU (6510), VIC-II (on a cycle level), SID (including filters, combined waveforms and bugs) and CIA. Easy to add to any web-page using Java/Javascript.”

Emulation on the go

Are you at multiple computers on any given day? You don’t need to limit your C64 enjoyment to one system. Whether you want to make pictures, music, or play games, you can make the experience a portable one. The “Snapshot” function in the VICE Commodore 64 emulator will allow you to save a VICE Snapshot File (*.vsf) that will save exactly where you were in a game. If you were in the middle of creating some C64 pixel art you can jump right back in to using the same brush and color without even loading the program. Just make sure to actually set the disk in your emulator using the “attach” function since the program you loaded from snapshot may need to access the disk image as well.

Since the VICE program does not require an install process and runs with a click of the x64.exe in the VICE folder, you do not need to keep VICE on any one machine. You can instead have your VICE program files, .d64 and .t64 files, and .vsf snapshot files all on a USB storage device. Another way you can keep all of your files in one place while sharing them is with a free online storage provider with a synchronized local folder across multiple computers and mobile devices such as the one offered at Dropbox.com, Google Drive, or similar cloud hosting.

That way, when VICE goes looking for your game files to load up more program data from Phantasie with multiple disk images, you’ll still be able to play using a snapshot and at any PC with Windows. It also comes in handy to have your .D64 files available if you want to show off a game or a music demo to a friend. I recommend getting a free online storage account or a USB storage device and copying your VICE folder along with frequently played game files or applications onto it. Since .D64 files are so small, you can load 200 games or more with no worries on something like a typical USB storage device. Commodore 64 users never had the convenience of this kind of portability, so take advantage of it!

There is another option that you can check out at CommodoreServer.com. Virtual floppy drive software called V-1541 allows you to access up to 2,500 of your own.D64 files remotely once you have created a free account there. You can access .D64 files through the VICE emulator as well as a real Commodore 64 using the Comet 64 modem device. This makes it possible for you to play a game on a real C64, for example, save your game, and then pick up that game where you left off on a portable computer without carrying any additional storage devices along with it. All you will need on your portable computer is VICE and an account at CommodoreServer.com. Similar sites like this may come and go in the future, so don’t hesitate to search around or even start your own online repository of user-created disks to share!

Adventures with Linux

Since the release of the first edition of this book, Commodore USA came and went and in the process made Linux much more Commodore-friendly with Commodore OS Vision. That flavor of Linux has since been abandoned, but the ease of use for those hoping to enjoy Commodore emulation on a Linux platform will hopefully carry on in spirit to other Linux distributions.

A distribution of Linux for 64-bit PC systems ( like those Commodore USA sold ), COSV was meant for more than just running retro Commodore programs in emulators. It was designed to have the option to “boot directly into full screen C64 emulation with the READY prompt.” Like many Linux distributions, it was a targeted audience flavor of Linux intended as something one could live and work with on a personal computer, with all of the bells and whistles you'd expect from a user-friendly modern OS.

If you’re new to either Linux or C64 Emulation, and you opt against using something like Commodore OS Vision, then do not expect that you will find things to be as straightforward and as easy as downloading VICE for Windows. Getting an emulator running on a flavor of Linux can be quite rewarding if you’re up for learning new things, but may end up being exceedingly frustrating if you are not. Having many thousands of programs at your fingertips will allow you to overcome one frequently cited “flaw” with Linux from a gamer’s perspective: a general lack of “native” games developed for or compatible with Linux when compared to Windows, Android, and Apple’s Macintosh.

There are a few things you need to know about Linux in general if you’ve been thinking of making the switch. That is, if getting C64 emulation working quickly and painlessly is important to you, perhaps you should steer clear. Ease of use is important to me, because I want to see more people using C64 emulation, but if you are an educated Linux loyalist, then by all means go ahead.

Stick with a distribution that has a usable install package for VICE (or ideally where everything is already pre-installed and ready to go). OpenSUSE .rpm’s (packaged files for install) for VICE and Frodo (another C64 emulator) both worked for me, though this was a version from 2012, so things may have changed since. While Ubuntu proponents at the time made claims at it being an easy-to-use distribution of Linux, and it came with VICE as an option to install right on the CD/DVD image, it was an older version of VICE and lacked essential components needed for it to run. It sort of defeats the purpose of having it there as an install-able option in the first place if you need to look around the web for components to get it to work properly. Surely Ubuntu includes a later version of VICE now, but I can’t vouch for whether or not it includes all of the required files to run. Things will continue to change on this front, of course. The best distribution you find may be neither OpenSUSE nor Ubuntu.

It is important to note that if the distribution you choose has no pre-packaged VICE at all, there may be some frustration involved in getting it to run. For the version of Ubuntu I downloaded at the time I needed to search out, extract, and copy the 1541, chargen, kernal, and basic files from the web to ~/ . ice/C64 on my system. That’s not something I would recommend for the casual computer user.

With the latest version of VICE in a downloadable .rpm for OpenSUSE, however, I was able to skip that headache and get a fully working copy of VICE instead of ancient 1.x version included with Ubuntu that was missing files. That said, it did take some searching to find the right package.

Did I mention you’ll need to do a lot of typing of commands? You may feel like you are working on a C64 again at times. Working with the Linux command line may seem like a bother if you grew up with Windows or a Mac and have a quick mouse hand, but there are advantages to typing commands that you’ll learn later if you master Linux.

First, bring up the “terminal” tool in your GUI menu. Something that looks like an MS-DOS style prompt will pop up in a window. Use the “ls” command to show what directory you are in, and type “cd” plus the name of the directory to change directory to get where you need to be to run your emulator, like “cd bin.” Unless you are a Linux expert and your idea of fun is spending an afternoon in “dependency hell,” you probably should not try to compile VICE from source. Find an .rpm or similar package of pre-compiled files for you to click and install. It will save you from pulling your hair out if someone else has done most of the grunt work for you. You don’t want to be missing any critical files when you attempt to install VICE (or Frodo) later.

I found the Frodo emulator easy to install in Linux, but lacking convenient features included in VICE. Frodo is best if all you need is a simple C64 emulator to simulate turning on a C64 and playing around a bit, but I did not find it suitable for loading and running a variety of programs when compared to VICE. Of the “big name” Linux distributions, OpenSUSE had the best, easiest to install and run VICE program available for download at the time and was my ultimate choice.

Once you have VICE installed, the actual name of the command you need to type in your terminal window is “x64.” You might notice the similarity to the x64.exe file in the Windows version. You will want to type a file name as well in that same line unless you just want to play with an emulated C64 with nothing else running on it.

To load and run an educational quiz program called Computer History, for example, download the program file from a repository like GB64 or CSDb after searching for “computer history.” Drag and drop the compressed file into usr/bin (you don’t need to extract the files). Type in the command line: x64 “COMPHIST_16901_02.zip.” (your actual filename could vary). This is the equivalent to auto attaching and running a .d64 or .t64 file in WinVICE. You should see your Linux version of VICE pop up and run in a window. Click around on the open window to pull up VICE menus for other options. There is no “toolbar” as in WinVICE, but the options are there.

As I wrote earlier, getting a C64 emulator to work in Linux is not a simple download and click affair. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with Linux and its quirks and charms to some degree before you get things working smoothly. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be running and playing Commodore 64 programs on your free and open source OS, and that’s a reward in itself!

Android-based Emulation

Android emulation is evolving but has lagged in development, ease-of-use, and has generally been less flexible when compared to PC and Mac-based emulation. One big reason for this is that C64 programs were primarily designed for keyboard input, not touch screens. This is not an insurmountable obstacle to enjoying emulation, but it can be a game-breaker for an App that is otherwise slick when the controls don’t work like they should, or keyboard/joystick interaction is essential. Even simple joystick-controlled games can require one to type “Y” or “N” or hit the space bar or some other key such as F7 to continue to the main program. This usually requires pulling up an on-screen keyboard temporarily to begin. Worse yet, some titles may require frequent keyboard interaction when running the program, even if they are primarily joystick-controlled. This problem can be circumvented easily with a keyboard connected (via Bluetooth, USB, etc.) to your Android device. I have even successfully used a USB “OTG” adapter to connect a Keyrah full-sized Commodore keyboard to a number of Android tablets and phones. If the Android tablet’s screen is big enough this moves Android out of the “novelty emulation” category and into a tool for serious use.

Joystick controls in Android emulation unfortunately tend to be sloppy. At least on the apps I’ve tried, the accuracy and ease of use runs from a barely tolerable poor to abysmally useless. I fully expect this will get better once 2017 is in the rear view window, but for now I can only watch and hope for improvements to joystick emulation.

If Android (or an offshoot) continues to increase its user base and becomes a true PC-killer, pushing Windows or Mac aside, with the quality of VICE improved to match or exceed WinVICE of today, I can see a market for things like bluetooth retro-styled joysticks to add to the bluetooth keyboards (or whatever the wireless flavor of the decade might be), making retro computing on the Android platform a convenient and wireless affair. For now, however, I’ll stick with my Windows box.

Emulation with Apple

If you are an Apple fan, then you’ll be happy to know that there are Mac versions of VICE available for download. If you’re familiar with downloading and installing files from links on the internet, you will find that VICE is as robust and feature-rich as Windows versions. The emulation tips I provided earlier in this book for VICE for Windows will apply for the most part to your emulation experience on a Mac. Locations of files will be different, of course. You may notice some compatibility issues with games that I may be hard-pressed to explain (a reader informed me of an issue with the controls in Spike’s Peak, for example, that seemed to be unique to the Mac flavor of VICE) since I am not and never have been a big Mac user.

You’ll need download the file from Sourceforge, run a “DMG” file from your “Downloads” folder, and then click on the “X64” icon to get going.  Once you’re up and running the differences should be mainly cosmetic from there. Instead of “Autostart Disk/Tape Image” it may be listed as “Smart Attach” in the file menu (which is at the top of your screen, not in the window itself).

For iOS users the situation has been historically less fortunate for C64 emulation. Apple iOS has been the least friendly major platform for C64 emulation in general due to a longstanding policy of requiring apps adhere to specific policies on the Apple Store, including removal of C64 emulation from their iOS platform for violating a policy which was in essence against “programs within programs” and other reasons dating back to 2009. [4]  The alternatives are there if you can tolerate a limited selection of pre-loaded and pay-for games such as Bruce Lee, but freely loading whatever D64 files you can find on the internet was not in the cards for me as an iPhone user during the 2000’s and into the early 2010s. The situation may improve in the future if you are determined to make iOS your emulation platform, however. Perhaps you will be the one to improve it!

Quirks and hurdles to instant fun

Now that you have an emulator installed, there are some other things you might want to consider. These are minor hurdles to the fun that awaits you. But if you plan on introducing the C64 and games to kids or those who know nothing about the C64, you’ll want to read up on these hurdles first.

The Commodore 64’s quirks and personal computer commands may take some getting used to for someone new to it. Take, for example, the frequent use of function keys. They were big, meaty buttons, separate and to the side of the C64’s keyboard. Because the joysticks used with the C64 had only one button, the function keys were often used for starting games or changing options in a program. A game like Jumpman might include a few keys be typed before getting on with play, while a similar game today would allow everything to happen on the buttons of a game pad. Other games like Gateway to Apshai might require the use of the function keys for actions during play such as selecting and casting spells or toggling between weapons. These keyboard commands before and during gameplay might be confusing for newcomers to Commodore 64 emulation. The “gamers” I knew who used a C64 primarily for gaming back in the day kept the computer on a coffee table or otherwise close at hand, unlike consoles which tend to live beside a television.

There are a few other things that can get in the way of hassle-free gaming. One of the most obvious is a joystick that doesn’t seem to work. The best way to get around this if you’re not a fan of going in to your emulator’s options menu to “swap joystick” is to have two USB game pads. I’ve found Joystick Port 2 to be the most commonly used if you want to set your default, but I need to use “swap joystick” in the VICE emulator every now and then. If you’re introducing a child to casual C64 gaming, I suggest that you have two gamepads at the ready so they won’t have to deal with that hurdle to instant fun. I also suggest that you start them off with the selection of action games from Chapter Five.

Relics from the hacking and piracy days of the C64’s heyday called “trainers” or “cracktros” are modifications for cheating in-game or introductory screens that were not a part of the original games. Both are often placed in .D64 files available around the Internet, and prevent a player from jumping directly into the action. The cracktros might have flashy graphics and nice music, but they can become tiresome obstacles when you jump from game to game or have seen them many times already. They exist in game files today in part because of copy protection schemes that needed to be removed so software pirates could illegally distribute games. The pirated copies were often the best means of circulation some small production games ever saw. The decades-old shout out from Dr. Kool to Crack-Master Jimklangger is about as quaint and irrelevant as it could possibly be for a new C64 gamer today, but we have those guys to thank in a way for preserving the games that might have otherwise been lost to time.

While experienced C64 users might appreciate the trainers that allow them unlimited lives or other cheats to beat that impossible game, they often force additional keyboard interaction such as hitting “N” for “no” a half dozen times, again preventing a player from kicking back and going 100% with a joystick/game pad after launching the game through an emulator. This is an impediment to enjoyment for Android-based emulation where you’ll need to pull up an on-screen keyboard to bypass the cracktro.

A typical cracktro screen which will usually be accompanied by music (often better than the music that came with the game itself!). This one was followed by rotating garbage text and a trainer

If you’re familiar with downloading through torrents or file hosting services, you might search for “No-intro C64 torrent” if the trainers and cracktros bother you, and you’ll be pleased to find a collection of Commodore 64 disk images unchanged from the originals. On the down side, you might not find that obscure game you were looking for in a no-intro collection. Also, the files might not be in a format that is immediately useable by your particular emulator, or may be made for export to physical disk.

For ease of access I suggest that you use disk images with hacks and trainers. Just be ready to deal with them and blow right by them whenever you can. Try the SPACE key or ENTER first to bypass intro screens. If nothing obvious works, try the fire button on your game pad / joystick, and swap joystick ports in your emulator if that still doesn’t work.

Type the first letter of a word when responding to questions in the intros and trainers. For instance, the question “Unlimited Lives?” might pop up, and the expectation is for you to hit Y for yes, N for no. If “Highscore or Trainer?” is a choice, then I suggest you choose “H” to play the game as it was originally intended to be played, without cheats.

Does your game say “Hit Run/Stop key to begin?” When using an emulator, the Esc key on the upper left of your keyboard is the default equivalent of the old Commodore 64 Run/Stop key. Also, in emulators, the Commodore symbol key is typically mapped to the left CTRL key. Keep both of those key mappings in mind if a program requires that you press either to continue.

Did the screen go all funny with rotating garbage text and bizarre colors at any point while the game was loading? Wait a few seconds and it will clear up. This is typical before graphically intense cracktros (and demos).

It is unfortunate that these impediments to hassle-free gaming exist, but once you know the basics I’ve listed here, they quickly become an afterthought. None of these things will prevent you from enjoying C64 emulation, and who knows, you might even enjoy some of the fancier cracktros and music, or find a game that is too difficult where a little help from a trainer is just what you need.

Emulation Troubleshooting 101

Despite the instructions and tips above, you may still find your emulation experience stalling out on common problems. As a result of feedback from prior revisions of this book I have added more basic tips below:

I cannot get such and such game to load properly, or it crashes

1. PAL emulation is turned on instead of NTSC, or vice versa.  The action adventure Realm of the Trolls is a good example of this as it will load fine but on completion will appear corrupted when run in NTSC mode. You need to change the “model” of your C64 unit. This can be found under Settings, C64 Model Settings in VICE. If you are using another emulator, look for a place to change the model settings of PAL and NTSC.

2. The game is hung while loading. This may seem obvious, but try hitting a few keys like the space bar or your ESC or even ~ (tilde) key. On occasion I'll notice a program that appears to be hung while loading is simply waiting for some sort of input. The Electronic Arts loader sometimes will behave this way, and with the scrolling animation its not clear that the load has completed. Finally, depending on the version of software you downloaded the load process may differ depending on who cracked the copy protection.

2. True Drive Emulation is turned off. This is not something I run into often, but you may try this if your game won’t load.

3. The program requires a memory expansion. This is usually more of an issue for the VIC-20, but if you jump between 8-bit Commodore emulators in VICE it’s worth noting. For programs that require extra memory for the VIC-20, in VICE's xvic executable, go to Settings, VIC20 settings, and then choose “16k”.  This will generally be enough for programs that require a memory expansion, but other settings are also available.

3. Finally, another possibility is that the file dumped from the original source is simply corrupt. CSDb tends to have multiple versions of games in its database that were cracked by different groups. If no version works then you may have to go with original media. In this scenario perhaps you can find a way to contribute back to the community by finding an original disk and working with the community to archive a proper copy without errors. This is something you can pursue even if you don’t have a complete working C64 hardware setup, since the community can help you get the disk into a digital format (D64).

I cannot get the joysticks to work properly

1. Joystick settings and directions were not set up properly in your keybind configuration, or you did not set “Save Settings on Exit” in VICE before shutting it down from your last session.

1. Swap joysticks. The game may be set to use Joystick Port 1 or 2. Unless you have two Joysticks sitting on your desktop ready to swap between your own hands, you'll want to use this option in the Joystick Settings menu under Settings.

2. Joystick settings conflict with one another in your key configs. Make sure your key configs for Joystick A and B are unique in case you are playing a two-player compatible game. Usually duplication of keys does not seem to be a problem when playing single player titles but would obviously be an issue if you are playing head-to-head with someone locally.

3. Joystick was plugged into a USB port after you ran the emulator executable. Some emulators don't like this and cannot adapt to swapping in/out devices on the fly. This has been a problem with VICE in the past, for example. Plug your USB game pad or other joystick device in BEFORE you kick off your emulator.

That’s it! You now have the tools to enjoy C64 game files offered around the Internet and know the basics of emulation. In the following chapters I will introduce programs and games that can be best enjoyed as you read along, so get your emulator up and ready for your walkabout!

Chapter Three:

Productivity, Art, and Music

One common misconception held by people who never experienced the C64 as home computer during the 1980s was that Commodore developed it with the sole intent of producing a game machine like an Xbox with a keyboard. Improper comparisons are made to the Nintendo Famicom / NES. There is no doubt that Commodore wanted a slice of the then hot gaming segment back in the early 80s, but the C64 was introduced as far more than a gaming system. On the Commodore 64 boxes were printed the words: “For your Business, Education, and Personal Use.” Note how the word “gaming” was not included in that sales pitch. In television commercials the VIC-20, gaming was secondary “plays great games, too!” and that philosophy continued with the C64.

The C64 was not a direct competitor to pure gaming consoles like the Atari 5200 or ColecoVision systems that were also released in 1982. It was a home computer that was also a very capable game machine. To give a couple of examples of more direct competitors, Atari had its Atari 400 and 800 8-bit computers, and Coleco had the Adam. Those systems could also play games, but they were home computers first and foremost. This is not to say that Commodore never made C64 gaming consoles. Commodore did release the short-lived “Commodore 64 Games System” (C64GS) in Europe in late 1990. It was essentially a C64 without a keyboard, designed for gaming. As an avid RPG and Adventure gaming fan who liked to write fiction and type in programs, a C64 missing a keyboard certainly would not have appealed to me, but apparently Commodore International felt there was a market for it. In the end it was not a commercial success.

A C64 retail box illustrates how it was intended for much more than gaming

Although games became increasingly popular on the C64 as the years went by, The C64 had an impressive array of business and home finance titles available, and a number of educational programs that were not educational games.

I own one of the more popular educational programs Commodore offered in a large box with two cassettes and a thick book titled Introduction to Basic / Part I. It even came with plastic, Commodore-branded stencils for making diagrams of Basic programs.

Commodore offered several productivity and educational titles. Among them were:

C64105 LOGO Programming Language

C64207 Easy Script 64

C64220 General Ledger

C64223 Payroll

C64402 Music Machine

C-64604 Speed/Bingo Math

C64609 Visible Solar System

C64801 Magic Desk

Commodore was not alone in making such titles. In the latter years of the C64’s product lifespan Commodore ceded ground to other software developers. Third party offerings included: HES Writer 64, Timeworks Swiftax, Microsoft Multiplan, Studio 64, Melody Hall’s Home Banker, EA’s Music Construction Set, Cimmaron Insta-Calc, HES Turtle Graphics I & II, Pacsoft’s BASIC Tutor, The Newsroom by Springboard, Koala Paint, and many others.

Brøderbund’s Print Shop saw heavy use with our dot matrix printer in my home. We used it for greeting cards and similar print projects, but also for printing long banners that made good use of the connected tractor feed paper that is no longer used for mainstream printers today. The banners in our home were used for everything from birthday parties to science project displays. If you want to hold a retrocomputing party in your home, some tractor feed paper banners printed with Print Shop would be a great welcoming touch for your guests!

The Magic Desk I cartridge, the first attempt by Commodore at a Productivity GUI

GEOS

One of the most impressive software packages for C64 owners was GEOS, the Graphic Environment Operating System from Berkeley Softworks, released in 1986. Commodore apparently felt it was an attractive and important element to extending the useful lifespan of the C64 because it bundled GEOS with the refreshed Commodore 64c computers.

Prior to GEOS there was a Commodore cartridge called Magic Desk that was a rather crude but serviceable attempt at an all-around GUI that resembled a real office with a desk, typewriter, filing cabinets and more. A giant finger controlled by joystick was the equivalent of a mouse cursor.

Before owning GEOS I used Magic Desk for typing documents, but it was hardly the sort of snappy word processor we take for granted today.

Instead of the almost comically literal “desktop” design of Commodore’s Magic Desk, GEOS looked very much like the desktop GUI of a Macintosh, and was designed as a modern OS to be a platform for running many applications, not a limited handful. One might say that GEOS emulated the Macintosh OS to a fault, by relying primarily on black and white (gray) graphics when all Commodore 64 computers could display color.

The redesigned C64c was often bundled with GEOS, making it a viable, if much cheaper, alternative to computers like the Macintosh.

While the Commodore 1351 mouse was supported by GEOS, I suspect many C64 owners used their joysticks instead, as I did.

GEOS was a fantastic achievement when one considers the limitations of the hardware, but it was not without its flaws. The slow processor speed and load times made long term survivability of the platform an issue. The C128 also had a version of GEOS that should have been snappier, perhaps a key reason for owning a C128 back in the day as C128 specific games were few compared to the thousands made for the C64.

GEOS running in VICE

One solution designed to keep GEOS viable longer was the RAM expansion cartridge also developed by Berkeley Softworks called GeoRAM, loaded with 512KB of RAM.

I fondly recall perhaps the best feature of GEOS, and that was the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) word processor GeoWrite. Up until GeoWrite came along, typing on the C64 and producing decently formatted rows of text was cumbersome. With older word processors it was very difficult to tell what your finished document would look like, resulting in wasted ink and paper. A version of GEOS and GeoWrite for the Commodore 128 went further to improve desktop publishing and took advantage of that computer’s capabilities, allowing a legible full eight-inch page display.

Printing documents on a home computer in the 80s with a WYSIWYG display was still a relatively new concept for people who were still lagging behind on computer literacy or saw home computers as hobbyist devices or novelties that would fade away. One of my teachers in high school in the late 80s marked my reports full of red text because the dot matrix printer I used with my C64 did not have descending lines in “y” or “g” characters, otherwise known as “true descenders.” If you’ve ever seen a dot-matrix printout, you’d recognize how those characters are squashed into the same space as a natural limitation of the printers. The teacher docked me points for each instance even though there was no way for me to change the way my printer displayed such characters. So much for being on the cutting edge of home computer use! I wonder if he was trying to make the point that I should have written my essays by hand.

GeoWrite did have a handful of interesting fonts to choose from, but I do not recall being able to print them in all of their glory, even in the latter days of my C64 productivity use. Until the end I owned an old dot matrix printer without true descenders or otherwise “letter quality” print capabilities. At least the ink ribbons were not as expensive as the ink cartridges today. In fact, I purchased an old dot-matrix printer to see if I could print out some archival material. I used office supply stamp ink in a bottle to revive the old printer ribbon cartridge and after some experimentation got the printer working again.

Several versions of GEOS were released over more than 10 years, each improving on the last in what would be considered major ways today (adding driver support for popular devices, color, re-sizable windows, etc.).

GEOS is not lost and forgotten and can still be downloaded and even bought. It is likely that the current GEOS users beyond those who just “like it” include people who made extensive use of it in the past, and still have many documents and CG “paintings” in a GEOS readable format. It is also possible to use emulation to speed up GEOS so it overcomes the limitations of the old hardware.

If you would like to download a copy of GEOS, go here: http://cbmfiles.com/geos/geos-13.php.

C64 bitmap graphic art with Micro Illustrator

If you want to draw art that looks like it was made decades ago on a Commodore 64, there is no need to get an app that will fake it for your iPhone or intentionally introduce pixelation to an image drawn with the latest art tools. Go to the original source. Work within the limitations of art programs for the C64 and get your hands on a graphics editor made for the C64.

A simple image I made with Micro Illustrator

Though many are familiar with KoalaPaint, one other such program is Micro Illustrator from 1984 by Island Graphics. I’ve seen a few boxes of this software title selling on auction sites, but if you don’t need the instructions or don’t have original C64 hardware, you can pick up the “cracked” copy of this very old program here: http://csdb.dk/release/?id=38872.

All you need is a joystick or game pad in slot #2 (in VICE go to Settings, Joystick Settings) to control the “pen.” Play around for a while with all of the different tools and colors and you’ll start to get the hang of it. Working with a USB game pad was awkward at first, but 15 minutes after running the program for the first time I was able to produce the image above of a castle at the end of a road.

The tools are straightforward. “Erase” will allow you to undo your last mistakes or clear the entire picture. You toggle back and forth between the picture and the menu by hitting the space bar on your keyboard. If you choose the upper or lower color choices you can create a pixelated effect such as in the clouds in my picture above. I could have gone further and made rays extending from the sun, or created bushes and trees using other effects.

Near the end of your 15 minute session you’ll be toggling back and forth with the space bar with a good feel for using the tool, and will be on to adding more art to share with the C64 community!

Playing SID chiptunes

The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device) was the sound chip in the Commodore 64. Back when some other personal computers had no more than one “voice” producing ugly beeps and buzzing sounds out of an in-case “PC speaker,” the Commodore 64’s SID chip was fresh and new with three individual voices and a unique oscillator for each voice. This meant you could have music with complex harmonies, not just simple beep-bloopy melodies.

So how do you play SID chiptunes without actually having a Commodore 64 on hand? Because the SID chip was part digital, part analog, and there were several revisions, it is preferable for enthusiasts to use a solution like HardSID with a real SID chip providing the sound for authenticity. But for casual listeners, SID emulation is acceptable most of the time. For this you’ll need a music file, and a player or player plugin.

SID songs are usually found in .SID format from a variety of sites. Most notable is the High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC). It is an enormous collection, but SID files are small, and the version I downloaded recently was less than 70 megabytes. You can find the most recent release here: http://www.hvsc.c64.org/#download.

These files include songs and soundtracks (including some sound effects) from Commodore 64 games, to songs made for demos or just for musical playback. A single SID file will often include multiple songs or “tracks” if it is from a game. This apparently confuses many modern players in Windows that are designed for single track MP3 or CD playback, even when they have plugins designed to handle SID files. You may find it hard or impossible to fast forward, or determine song length, depending on the player you use. There are ways to get around this, however.

The granddaddy of SID playback on a PC is SIDplay, now SIDplay2. However, unless you are a big fan of running things in a DOS command console, it’s not the best solution for someone who wants to casually sample a few SID songs.

SIDPLAY is the way to go if you use Mac OS X. SIDPLAY currently requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, and runs on PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

For the PC/Windows, I’ve used Winamp with its SID plugin in the past, which is acceptable, and might even be preferable if you use Winamp for everything else. Simply search the Winamp site for a SID plugin and you’re ready to go.

However, I prefer using an application called XMPlay (no, it is not for playing XM satellite channels, but is a media player, similar to Winamp). XMPlay has a SID plugin  you can find easily through a web search on “XMPlay SID plugin.” The plugin will allow you to open .sid files with XMPlay. You can simply drag and drop SID files onto Xmplay’s application window, or open them from within XMplay.

Once you have XMPlay and the SID plugin installed, go to tools, then plugins, then double click on the SID plugin. You’ll see several options. Play with these a bit if you like. You’ll notice that among the advanced options are some which can be quite CPU intensive in an attempt to closely approximate the notoriously difficult to emulate “authentic” SID sound.

Another good thing about XMPlay is the relative ease of making MP3 output files from SID tunes, so you can listen to SID songs on any MP3 capable device. You can add effects like reverb to the output of your MP3 files as well to give the SID tunes a little more depth.

Possibly the best part about the Xmplay’s SID plugin is the ability to accurately detect the song lengths – use the “Load Song Lengths Database” option for this. You’ll also want to put in the path for where your HVSC files reside. Again these options are accessible by double clicking on the SID plugin.

You can find XMPlay here: http://www.un4seen.com/.

And the SID plugin here: http://dhost.info/pieknyman/html/plugins.html.

(These links were checked and valid  Feb. 2017)

If you just want to sample some songs, perhaps just to hear the original SID versions of the modern remixes out there, you can go to Remix.Kwed.Org, and download chiptunes by clicking on the chip icon to the right of the remixes. Click on the icon to download as indicated in the screen shot below, and if you have your player set up correctly, you’ll be enjoying SID tunes in no time!

Some options for playback at Remix.Kwed.Org

C64 sheet music and MIDI conversion

While living and going to college in Japan in the mid-1990s I took piano classes from a Japanese girl about my age. One day about a month or so after I started taking classes, while playing around with my Sound Blaster audio card on my PC, I ran across some bundled software that allowed me to make sheet music of any MIDI song. Since I was a fan of Commodore 64 and Ultima game music, I had collected some MIDI files from different Ultima games. It seemed to me that Ultima III: Exodus’ iconic “Wander Theme” would be perfect for playing on a piano, but my playing skills were not advanced enough to tackle it, so I brought some printed sheet music from the Ultima III game to the session with my tutor.

I did not tell her what it was, only that it was a “song that I liked.” As a result I was able to experience watching a serious musician, her hair fanned out over her shoulders, arms poised and fingers energetically hammering the ivories play a very good rendition of Ultima III’s wander tune. She liked it so much that she insisted that I tell her what it was.

When I told her (while cringing inwardly at an expected negative response to the geek factor in my song selection) she laughed and revealed that she enjoyed old games as well and then proceeded to play a game tune from memory for me that I didn’t recognize from a Japanese RPG like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest.

If you’re interested in a MIDI to Sheet Music converter, there are several around the web for download. But MIDI is not the native format for C64 music files. The accepted standard for original C64 tunes extracted from C64 games or as standalone songs is the SID format.

SID2MIDI is a great little tool that takes SID songs and converts them to MIDI format. While SIDs tend to sound better in their original form, if one has a tune converted into MIDI format it opens up all sorts of possibilities including playback on any MIDI compatible device, making sheet music as I mentioned earlier, or using as a basis for remixing.

If you have an electric keyboard capable of MIDI playback like a Yamaha YPT-220, with the right USB cable you can connect it to your PC, to pass SID files converted to MIDI for playback on a device other than a computer.

I’ve used the SID2MIDI tool to make several MIDI versions of some of my favorite SID tunes. You can find SID tunes for download on the page of each game with music at Gamebase64 indicated by a musical note icon. You can find SID2MIDI with a search engine. I found it at the Remix64 forums where musicians who are fans of original C64 tunes might use MIDI files as the foundation for a modern song based on a SID tune, otherwise known as a “remix.”

SID2MIDI works best when the melody is simple and does not involve a lot of oscillating or unusual sounds. I’ve found it to be extremely accurate on most of the songs I selected, though the “walking” beat in M.U.L.E., for example is missing. Winter Holiday by Matthais Hartung, converted to MIDI, needs to be cleaned up, but the foundation for a good remix is still there. Some other SIDs like Ben Daglish’s Switchblade are nearly beyond recognition.

Check it out and convert some for yourself, or at least give the SID files I converted to MIDI a try as they’ll play on any sound card that is MIDI capable, which should be standard.

C64 remixes

Of long list of things I’d love to learn to master or at least dabble in, composing music is near the top. I was once in a band for a few years in Japan as a lead vocalist, and have some experience crafting tunes in a group setting, but it was always with the help of the bassist who was the real composer of original music in our band. I would just hum a melody or play a simple tune on the keyboard and let him do the technical work. I never learned the intricacies of making the kind of techno-style music with its multiple layers that is so popular with the Commodore 64 remix scene. I have played around with a tool called MAGIX MX Music Maker to remake some SIDs like Realm of Impossibility with modern instruments, but nothing too fancy (yet).

Updated and modernized, C64 remixes can sometimes bear only a slight resemblance to the original SID chiptune, retaining only a basic melody. There is currently a huge repository of about 3000 remixes by 800 artists at Remix.Kwed.Org. Many of these songs are of great quality and are freely available for download. Some of them are so good that you’ll have your friends swaying to the music with no clue that they are listening to songs inspired by music originally made on the C64.

The most popular subjects of remixing tend to be from a handful of famous C64 composers who composed the original songs. Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish and Jeroen Tel are some of the big names associated with multiple remixes by remix arrangers. The arrangers include such prolific remixers as Infamous, BeeZerk, Mordi, CZ-Tunes, Hazel, Amok, Makke and many more.

One of the most frequently remixed set of songs come from the Last Ninja series, and a few other titles come up frequently as well.

I enjoy these remixes immensely and think they are a large part of keeping the Commodore 64 “scene” active and vital.

Perhaps you have the music skills needed to try your hand at remixing? If you’re interested in remixing C64 tunes yourself, here is a good place to start: http://www.remix64.com/about_getting_started_as_a_remixer.html.

The simplest way to kick back and enjoy non-stop modern C64 Remixes of old SID chip music is to tune in to Slay Radio (http://www.slayradio.org/home.php). You’ll be exposed to a wide range of listener requested and random tunes from dozens of artists. There are live broadcast shows as well with entertaining hosts that are worth checking out.

If there is an old C64 song or two you’d like to hear the remix of, register with the site and head to the member area where you can click on the “request song” tab. Type in “Huey” or “Chronberg,” for instance, then click on the “queue” link, and your song will be in the Slay Radio queue! Vote on the songs you like from places like Remix.Kwed.Org and spread the goodness.

SLAYRadio, a long time favorite of mine, also has live shows of remixes and original SIDs with ample talk from the hosts that may include . The next live show will usually appear in the upper left corner of the browser window.

If you’d like to support commercial C64 remixing, C64Audio.com is a great site with some fantastic professional tracks. Two of my favorite remixes at the site are a couple of tunes off the Back in Time 2 album: Galway is God by Jogeir Liljedahl, and Wizball 2000 by Tonka. Both remixes are based on original SID tunes by Martin Galway.

There are quite a few old SID chiptunes that I would love to see get the remix treatment that have so far escaped the attention of remixers. One reason might be that the C64 remixing scene is strongest in Europe, and the games I haven’t heard remixes for yet were likely not as popular as they were in the U.S. market. Even though they weren’t the best at utilizing the full potential of the SID chip, I find myself nevertheless humming them this day. These simple melodies might be a good way to get your feet wet if you want to try your hand at remixing. I’ve even done a couple of remakes of these myself:

Below the Root – A haunting tune from a game I’ll describe later in this book.

Necromancer -- Overlapping repetition makes this one shine.

Realm of Impossibility – A jaunty, quick theme that would make an interesting remix.

Telengard – Telengard’s iconic first track is a particularly crude and retro BASIC SID!

Mail Order Monsters The Circus Organ effect to it that reminds me of Halloween for some reason.

All of these are songs have a special place in my memory, and I have to think that there are other retro gamers out there who would love to hear them remixed, too, so give them a shot if you’re looking to become a remixer yourself, and don’t forget to submit your completed work to Remix.Kwed.Org!

The C64 demoscene

The word “demoscene,” or sometimes just “scene,” refers to a community that is involved in making impressive graphic and music demonstration programs (“sceners”). The Commodore 64 played a big role in the evolution of demos that have their roots in the cracktros I mentioned earlier in this book.

Initially, cracktros were little more than screens of text crediting the people who had cracked the software piracy protection of Commodore 64 games. Fancy graphic banners, tricks, and music tracks were added later. Over the years developing an impressive, quality cracktro as the hallmark of your group became something of a competition between different cracking groups, and the cracktro demo evolved to take on a life of its own. The creation of stand-alone demos evolved as a distinct and separate pursuit, an art form of sorts that was not necessarily tied to software piracy.

The goal of a typical demo is to show off the programming, art, and music skills of those involved in making one. Because of the Commodore 64’s limited resources, making something exciting and new challenges the creativity and technical skill of the “demosceners.” Ironically, the limitations of the C64 are part of the attraction for those who seek to make a demo. “You can do that on a Commodore 64?” is the reaction I’ve seen from people who’ve witnessed the demos I’ve shared with them.

Here is a good example of a number one ranked demo on Poet, an online demoscene resource: http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=53501

Making a demo may not require a group effort, but sharing one’s work with others in the scene is part of the experience for many demosceners. Several competitions are held annually to this day where demosceners get together at “demo parties” to show off their technical skills to one another.

If you used to program on the C64 or draw pixel art and are looking for a challenging and creative hobby that is C64 related, you might try to hook up with others in the demoscene community by creating an account at the CSDb User Forums and asking questions.

The CSDb is a great source if you want to download and view cracktros from games of the past, but I’ve also found that it is a great place to pick up tools and utilities like the paint program Micro Illustrator that I mentioned earlier in this chapter.

There you have it, just the taste of what the C64 was capable of beyond gaming. The next time someone tells you “the Commodore 64 was a great game machine for its time,” gently remind them that it was not simply a game console!

Chapter Four:

Adventures and Role-Playing Games

I recall standing in front of a Babbage’s computer store nestled in a corner of a mall northwest of Houston in 1985, watching the demonstration of Origin Systems’ Ultima IV on a CRT set into a cabinet behind the store window. I was thrilled with the advances that awaited me in the biggest computer role-playing game I had seen yet. Games in the Ultima series were expensive, and buying them required mowing many lawns in the oppressive summer heat, but the quality and depth of those games made them well worth the effort to me.

My retro computing desk circa 2009 where I enjoyed Ultima V on a real C64

While my friends might buy a handful of console action games for the same price, I was willing to wait for the deeper and more complex gameplay experience of the Ultimas. Thick manuals on heavy stock paper filled with lore and artwork kept me entertained for hours. Other items like a metal ankh and cloth map in the boxes elevated those titles to another level of enjoyment for me, adding layers of fun to games that visually looked rather simplistic in retrospect.

Infocom, famous for their text-based adventures, also included such “feelies” in the boxes to add to the experience. I owned a copy of Leather Goddesses of Phobos that included a seemingly unrelated 3D comic book including hints quite helpful to solving the story in the game. A scratch and sniff card that was supposed to be used during gameplay to add the novelty of smells to the title also! Sadly it’s doubtful the smells would remain today.

This is not to say that CRPG’s and adventure games required such physical items to be complete. One can enjoy Ultima IV through disk images, scanned PDF files, and emulation today. Loyal fans of the old games have posted manual scans that include the artwork and photos of the feelies so even someone who never owned the original games can enjoy a similar sense of immersion. If you are able to get your hands on an original game with such extras however, you’ll be able to push your immersion up a notch. There is something satisfying about reaching out to page through a printed manual and other physical artifacts in a box even if you are playing through emulation.

Interactive fiction through text adventures

Text adventures, also called “interactive fiction” by fans of the genre today were plentiful and popular on the C64 and earlier computers, mainly due to the fact that they were relatively easy to program and did not need fancy graphics to achieve immersive gameplay. There were multiple tools sold that made the creation of these games easier for the casual hobbyist, and several print books were made for programming text adventure games in BASIC. They were among the first real “computer games,” and by their nature (text entry via a keyboard was usually required, though some had a multiple-choice format) were not suited to Atari or Nintendo-style game consoles.

Because many young people today have grown up gaming with console games and mouse-controlled PC games, text adventures have been pushed from mainstream gaming into a niche over the last two decades. One might also argue that graphical point and click style adventures took the place of the classic text description, or that later even 3D immersive games are spiritual successors and take the approach of a “picture worth 1,000 words” to tell the same stories.

Interactive fiction is a term used loosely by some, but I apply it only to programs that read like stories. If a text-based game starts off with nothing more than the lines, “You are in a room. You see a flashlight,” and the descriptions are similarly threadbare throughout, then I find the words “text adventure” to be more appropriate. Some text-based games had very rich locations and characters to introduce, however, such as those from Infocom. As a general rule of mine, if the game requires you to hit a key for “more” because the screen is jam-packed with rich paragraphs of description written like a novel with ample opportunity for interactive exploration, then I consider it interactive fiction.

The concept of a basic text adventure for those unfamiliar involves reading location descriptions, followed by the player typing in commands such as GET LAMP, or GO EAST, to move around and interact with objects in a setting described by paragraphs of text. One of the most universal commands in a C64 text adventure is “LOOK.”  LOOK is used to describe the surroundings (or to repeat a description of the surroundings that might have scrolled up and off of the screen). A description might read: “After waking up you realize that you have fallen into a deep pit. Your fall was padded by layers of rotting leaves. The light is dim this far down, but you can see the faint outline of a door with an iron handle at one end of the pit. A large, smooth river rock is also by your feet. You are glad that you did not land head first onto it. What do you do?” Your reactions might include GET ROCK or TAKE ROCK and then OPEN DOOR. What the game designer expects of you might not be so simple or straightforward, however. Some creative thinking might be required. The door might not budge or it might be locked. EXAMINE HANDLE might reveal (to your touch) that the handle has a button latch that is hopelessly rusted tight, but also feels a bit brittle and wobbly. The command USE ROCK ON HANDLE might produce the desired result of breaking the rusted handle and latch and allowing you to open the door. Text adventures used “parsers” to handle input from a player that were of varying complexity, from very simple commands like GET KEY, to more complicated sentences like BASH THE HANDLE WITH THE ROCK. If you are playing a low-budget or little-known C64 text adventure, it’s safe to assume that the parser will not be sophisticated, and will reply with the sometimes annoying “I don’t understand” to complex or unrecognized commands. If you continue to see this sort of reply over and over again, you’re likely working with a parser with a very limited vocabulary. Think of the parser in a typical C64 text adventure game like a simple minded robot you are trying to verbally command. The parser can only understand what vocabulary the programmer took the time to enter. On the other hand, many simple parsers generally understood shortcuts such as “W” instead of “GO WEST.” This is a welcome time saver, especially if the exits in a location are not clear, and you need to try another direction.

A public domain title, The Zuni Doll, by Jesse Burneko

Games written by the software developer Infocom had some of the best parsers and understanding of a wider vocabulary than most C64 adventures (including Scott Adams’ early games). Infocom’s games, such as the Zork series, are often held up as examples of perfect text adventures of the “golden age” of interactive fiction on home computers. They had complex stories and character interaction, great puzzles, and made for entertaining reading. But if you are looking for some simple cave crawling fun, or the ability to play a game from start to finish quickly, then there are many examples of less involved text adventures available for retro C64 gamers today. Some text adventures on the C64 used graphics (usually static images, but sometimes with limited animation) on the upper half of the screen to enhance the gameplay, usually called “graphic text adventures”. Some odd hybrids exist like Gothmog’s Lair which had limited graphics interspersed with the text from time to time.

As graphics capabilities improved on home computers and programmers took advantage of the full capabilities of the C64, text adventures evolved into “graphic adventures” that required moving an animated character on screen and performing similar actions with icons or by selecting commands rather than typing in commands, such as in Manic Mansion. Some graphic adventure games later made for the PC went to the extreme where they eventually left most text and speech out altogether in games like Myst. Perhaps it is because my first computer game was a text adventure on a Commodore VIC-20, however, that I find reading descriptions in text adventures fires up my imagination the most.

Before I introduce a handful of good C64 text adventures I thought it important to point out a little background on why text adventures were so popular on the C64, a concept that might seem unbelievable to a modern gamer.

Consider that the VIC-20, introduced in 1980, had only 5K of RAM, which became only 3.5K after booting up and displaying a command prompt. While there are tricks and techniques known today to squeeze the most from an unexpanded VIC, there was not a whole lot that could be done with 3.5K of RAM back then, and not much excitement to be had programming in very simple games with severe memory limitations. Even the simplest text-based games needed more memory than what was available to an unexpanded VIC to provide an enjoyable experience. Enter the 16K ROM cartridge-based text adventures of Scott Adams. All you needed to do was plug them into the rear of a VIC-20, and after a simple key command, the game was up and running. No tapes to load, no time waiting.

Several Scott Adams games were released for the VIC-20 in cartridge form, and were hot sellers at the time. Type “VIC-20” into an auction site and you’ll likely notice one of Scott Adams’ titles on the first page of hits. In a time when computers were still often seen as calculators and playthings for geeks, not devices to have fun with, the games designed for these memory-poor computers often struggled to entertain with screens of repetitive action sequences and uninspiring sounds. Scott Adams’ text-based games, however, were a ray of light and great fun for those who were willing to forgo graphics for something a little deeper. The feedback from the computer based on what you typed gave the feeling that you were “talking” to the computer, something you couldn’t accomplish with a simple shooting game and a joystick. The VIC-20 offered plenty of games that were more like old Atari 2600 action titles, but in my opinion they were often not where the VIC-20 really stood out, and did not offer a deep, interactive experience. Imagination is as deep as you want to make it, after all. I remember creating rich imagery in my head around some of the locations in Adventureland. When I went back to them nearly 20 years later, I found the actual text descriptions to be much shorter than I remembered.

Adventureland on a VIC-20 hooked up to a VGA monitor via a V2V Pro VGA converter

People take a high level of interactivity for granted today, but back in the early 1980s it was a big deal to be able to type in whatever simple command that came to mind only to see that command actually work in the game. Of course, the games were still very limited by what the parsers could handle within the memory of the cartridge itself, and you didn’t have complete and total freedom. Compared to dry educational software programs and games where progressing to the next location was like riding on train tracks in one direction, text adventures with their freedom of action, movement, and exploration offered the most fun some would ever experience on their VIC-20s.

Navigating your character through a world limited only by your imagination was like being the hero in a novel with the ability to make choices that could doom or save yourself or other characters. Simply exploring the locales and the items littered about then and guessing the secret purpose behind each was thrilling for people like me who were new to computers -- and back then, even after the Commodore 64 came out in 1982, most people were still new to using actual keyboard-driven home computers.

With the popularity of text adventures boosted thanks to the work of Scott Adams and Commodore itself on VIC-20 game cartridges, the next generation Commodore computer, the C64, had a built-in fan base for those sorts of games, and much greater potential to make the games deeper and more interesting than ever. So you can thank the VIC-20, in part, for the success of text-based games that came later on the Commodore 64, as the foundation was set by necessity on the back of a limited computer that could typically only offer a deep gaming experience through text.

Now, on to the games!

Castle of Spirits

The first text adventure I want to introduce is very typical of the genre, and if you stick with simple two-word commands it won’t leave you with too many frustrating “I don’t understand” messages. It’s also a very compact sort of mini-adventure and good for those who are just getting in to text adventures and the wider world of interactive fiction.

The game is Castle of Spirits, written by Tony Maro as a type-in program for the October 1987 issue of Commodore Magazine. It is set in a spooky castle where death stalks you and no escape is clear. There also seems to be an element of time, and death waiting for you if you tarry for too long in one place.

Games of this type can be much more enjoyable when using the snapshot feature in VICE at any time where you feel that you’ve made significant progress. The reason for this is that death in some text adventures can be swift, harsh and unexpected. Castle of Spirits can be like that.

It helps to have a pad of paper or another window of a paint program open in your desktop OS so you can scrawl out a map if you find yourself unable to keep track of how the Castle is laid out in your head. Draw little boxes with arrows between them, and keep track of directions such as “North.” Draw little pictures for the landmarks if it helps.

In this game, to “EXAMINE” an object in a room, you may need to “GET” it first. After you pick up the object, you can examine it more closely. As the game goes on and you have many items, use the command “INVENTORY” to check what exactly you have in your pack.

This game is representative of the “quick and fun” style of text adventures. Room descriptions are not overly long, and there is not much in the way of character interaction. It’s just you, some locations, some important objects, and how you use them to complete the game. Oh, and the evil baddies hunting you down.

To grab the file, go to a site like GB64.com and search for the game name. Once you’ve loaded it in your emulator, hit space to continue. The “Q” for Loadstar thing is just going to kick you out of the game.

Give it a shot! If anything it will teach you the basics of making your way around a text adventure and what to expect, including the limitations of a parser.

An interview with the programmer of Castle of Spirits

I was lucky to have the chance to interview Tony Maro, the programmer of Castle of Spirits and get his insight on the game he designed. At 15 years old Tony was paid a check of only $300 for his Castle of Spirits efforts by Commodore Magazine. The content of my interview with Tony follows:

RM: What got you started as a programmer on the Commodore 64?

Tony: Actually, I started programming on the Commodore VIC-20. A friend of my brother’s got a new TI-99/4A and a group of us sat around and taught it to play Christmas songs. I was immediately hooked and convinced my parents to get me a computer. My mom bought a VIC-20 at the PX because “I liked the way it looked,” she says. It didn’t take long to teach myself BASIC programming on the VIC-20. The “Commodore Programmers Reference Guide” became my Rosetta Stone. It got even more exciting when my parents finally got me a cassette tape drive so I could actually store and retrieve my work.

The first real “usable” things I wrote were text adventure games – in fact Castle of Spirits was my very first. The biggest challenge - beyond the text parser - was obfuscating the game logic so you couldn’t just read all of the text. I was inspired by Adventureland by Scott Adams and Voodoo Castle which I believe his wife wrote. I wanted to write my own interactive fiction games. I was an avid reader my entire life so it was a natural extension for me and didn’t require graphic art skills. In my later stages of text game development I picked up “Creating Adventure Games On Your Computer” by Tim Hartnell. I still have the old dog-eared copy on my bookshelf, and amazingly you can still find it used on Amazon.

RM: GB64 lists two games under your name: Castle of Spirits, and Lifeboat. Did you have any others published or unpublished, perhaps on different platforms?

Tony: Castle of Spirits was my first published game, and Lifeboat was a continuation. Both were actually written for Commodore Magazine and designed to be typed in from a printed magazine – hence the small size and code obfuscation. Originally I was going to do a regular column, but Commodore Magazine was in decline and falling on hard times just as Lifeboat came out. My mom actually had to threaten to sue them to get me my payment on Lifeboat.

After Lifeboat I started working on a full sentence text parser and learned more about parts of speech than I ever would have in school. I never actually released a game based on it because of the failure of Commodore Magazine and the lack of Internet distribution at the time. I did a bit of BBS’ing, but it was long distance for me so no software exchanges. I also wrote a lot of silly little games that I never did anything with – the kind of cute little arcade games that were common at the time. Adventures and fantasy were really where my interest was though.

In 1989 I started work on a 6502 assembly language (C-64) graphical strategy game to the rules of Battletech, but in the middle of it I met my wife and quickly lost interest in it. I believe I still have a printed copy of the source code in my files.

I also wrote a complete double-entry accounting package for my parent’s business that I called “AccountsEasy” (later I learned someone else used that name). I also wrote a spreadsheet for a state programming competition in 1988. Both were for the Commodore 64 and neither were published anywhere. Believe it or not, the fully functional spreadsheet only came in third place at the competition because I didn’t “have enough comments” in my code. The judges didn’t understand the fact that with 64 KB of RAM, you didn’t have memory to waste in REM statements because they all ate up memory!

Later on I wrote a breakout clone for the Amiga 1000 since my wife was a huge fan of breakout games at the time – also never published, but we sure enjoyed it.

About a decade ago I came up with an isometric view MMORPG that I actually had working, even without a team of designers and programmers. It was designed in a shard based system and could dynamically reload the game code and update the logic without having to disconnect players due to a unique memory management feature. It also transferred players from one server to another seamlessly and was designed so that there was no “choose a server to connect to” – everyone was in the same world. Once I hit the point of needing better graphics for the client and being unable to find any talent willing to work for free, I dropped the project and went back to real life.

RM: What are your interests today? Have you tried a C64 emulator like VICE to look back on your programs from the old days?

Tony: Yes, actually about a year ago I downloaded a pirated copy Castle of Spirits (hehe, irony, eh?) and played around with it. It brought back some memories. I played around with The Bard’s Tale, which I’d been horribly hooked on as a kid. I really remembered the graphics being better …

Today, when I’m not working, I’m C.I.O. and part owner in EvriChart (www.evrichart.com) – a medical records management company – I’m working on various Linux software projects that strike my fancy. I developed a complete workflow, inventory, and document management system for our company in PHP that runs across 5 servers. I’m a strong advocate for Open Source software and just over 6 years ago released CheckBook Tracker for Linux as free software – a personal finance software comparable with commercial offerings for Windows.

A few years ago I wrote and released a free document viewer and markup software – perfect for studying the Bible or reading other texts – designed for the Linux based touchscreen Internet tablets that run Maemo, specifically the Nokia n800 tablet. I wrote about 90% of a game engine similar to The Bard’s Tale that runs on that platform as well called DragonFear, but the wireless died on my tablet and I never replaced it.

My current project is a really cool photo manager and workflow software for Linux that I’m so far calling SimiliFlow. It’s great for hobbyist photographers. It will also be free!

Unfortunately all my old C-64 floppies melted back in 1990 when I was living in a drafty mobile home. An in-wall heater in the spare bedroom came on despite being turned off due to how cold it was. My disk cases were leaning against the heater …  Probably for the best – a person would serve jail time today or at least face the software equivalent of the RIAA for what I had in those cases A lot of the games I … “released”  … back in high school I didn’t put my own name to. I met the group known as “Thieves’ Guild” who taught me the basics of cracking piracy prevention methods, and some friends and I did a bit of our own  …  releasing. The Action Replay cartridge was probably one of the best purchases I ever made when it came to furthering my understanding of computers.

The Lurking Horror

As I mentioned earlier, Infocom’s parser (the “translator” between the user and the program) was superior to the majority of those used in text adventure titles on the C64, with a vocabulary of words in the hundreds, and the capability of understanding complex sentences beyond “GET LANTERN.” More natural English commands like “TURN ON THE COMPUTER” were possible. In a simple text adventure such commands would be met with “I don’t understand” messages. A better parser meant less time guessing what commands the program would allow and more time enjoying the story.

Multiple fan sites have been dedicated to Infocom’s interactive fiction. In an industry where graphics, sound and action had become increasingly important, Infocom’s ability to make attractive games for as long as it did with little more than text on a screen was no mean feat.

The Lurking Horror is a lesser-known but excellent title from Infocom, set in “modern” (1980s) times, on a fictional college campus that closely resembles M.I.T., the University that some of Infocom’s developers attended. It is a horror-themed story, with hints of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King’s writings. Like many other Infocom games, it had elements of humor as well.

If you try out Castle of Spirits before The Lurking Horror, then you’ll immediately recognize how The Lurking Horror is on a wholly different, higher level of production and polish. This is not to say that Castle of Spirits is not a good game in its own right, but the resources Infocom poured in to its interactive fiction titles far exceeded what a typical one-man text adventure effort could offer, especially one designed as a magazine type-in program. If Castle of Spirits was a short story, then The Lurking Horror was a novel. Like a novel, you can immerse yourself in this Infocom game, and it may well leave you hungry for more such titles.

Infocom’s legacy is the surviving niche community of amateur-produced interactive fiction that survives to this day. Howard Sherman at Malinche Entertainment picked up the torch for commercially sold purely text interactive fiction with titles such as the Pentari series and The First Mile until around 2012. Free downloadable utilities like Gargoyle allow for multiple “IF” file formats to be played on different operating systems. Some new innovations in IF include mobile games that allow you to gain and spend points in order to survive longer by performing heroic or clever actions.

You can find the Lurking Horror through a link at Gamebase64, but I should make it clear that unlike the majority of “abandoned” Commodore 64 games, Activision maintains legal ownership of Infocom titles. That said, Activision doesn’t seem to actively take much interest in the fan sites with scanned materials such as box art or “feelies” that do exist out there, such as at infocom.elsewhere.org. I am also not aware of any intent on Activision’s part to re-release and sell any of the old Infocom titles. So, for the sake of the following tutorial, I’m going to assume that you will somehow find a copy of the C64 file for The Lurking Horror, and successfully bring it up in an emulator.

When the game first loads in your emulator, it will prompt you with the message “Loading from a 1541 Drive?” Type Y for yes.

The game starts out with the dread of any college student: the term paper that got deleted (partially). As you search around the campus for a way to restore your term paper, awful secrets will unfold that will require you to intervene to set things right.

Try these commands at first, until you get the hang of how the parser works (caps not required):

HELLO HACKER

WATCH HACKER

TAKE THE RING OF KEYS

ASK HACKER ABOUT KEYS

GO SOUTH

GO WEST

LOOK

OPEN FRIDGE

GET COKE AND CARTON

The commands do not need to be so threadbare, either. Full sentences are appropriate in the typical Infocom game. You can type SIT DOWN ON THE CHAIR, OPEN THE FRIDGE, or ASK THE HACKER ABOUT THE KEYS and the parser won’t choke.

Here’s a hint: Consider that the Hacker is hungry, and you have a few ways to feed him in exchange for something you want that’s important to moving the story along. Unlike many lesser text adventures, you can interact quite a bit with your environment, so use EXAMINE and LOOK options often to get clues as to how to proceed. Repeating a command may produce different results depending on when and how many times you do it.

To further assist in your quest, you can find scans of the map and Student ID that came in the original game package at Infocom fan sites. Items like these are usually optional, but the title Leather Goddesses of Phobos, for example, included a 3D comic book that included some vital clues to gameplay.

Infocom had many more fascinating titles that are not hard to find on auction sites today with all of their documents intact. I recommend that you pick up at least one if you can.

Later, in Chapter Eight, I will introduce a way in which you can play one of the most popular text adventures of all time, also by Infocom, in a multiplayer environment called “Group Zork.”

Crime Time

Though many text adventures required typing commands on a keyboard, there were also those that only made use of the joystick. Among these were games like Maniac Mansion that required moving an animated character around the screen. Others had graphics of locations as seen from a first person point of view and required command entry, selectable by an icon, such as a large finger, on the screen. Though the entry method was different, such games employed a similar sort of syntax one would use in a traditional text-only game.

Instead of typing “GET LETTER,” a player could hit the fire button on his joystick to select the words GET, then LETTER, in the interface half of the screen. Joystick control of icons on the C64 was not as speedy and precise as a mouse on a modern PC, and this might seem to only slow a game down. However, there was one significant advantage: A player always knew what he could and could not do in a given location when the commands were laid out on the screen. All actions and objects were visible and available. This meant no more guessing what vocabulary the parser could understand.

In this way the joystick-only graphic text adventure could be considered a better gateway to adventure games for novices, at least when compared to primitive text adventures with simple parsers. They were also potentially more accessible to younger and less experienced gamers who didn’t know their way around a parser, and were likely to get “I don’t understand” responses frequently from text commands. For users who kept their C64 by the television in the family room like a game console, kicking back on the sofa with a joystick and enjoying something like a traditional text adventure was another advantage, since typing on the bull-nosed C64 while lying on the floor was rarely comfortable!

The joystick-only adventure games saw some popularity on the C64, but since they were more complicated to program they never came close to matching the volume of the pure text adventures.

Crime Time, by Starbyte Software, was such a joystick-only game. It’s in the murder/mystery genre with a touch of humor, and among similar adventure games on the Commodore 64 it stands out as a quality title.

Aside from the graphics, it has music as well (that can be toggled with the "S" key). It also contains some mild adult humor and language.

Gameplay is intuitive even for someone not familiar with interactive fiction. A compass shows you what directions are available. You don’t even need to select GO WEST; you simply select an available direction and hit your fire button to move that way. To interact with the environment, choose an action with the cursor, and then an object. There is a difference between “USE” and “ACTIVATE,” so try playing around with those commands and others in the room you start off in first to get the hang of how things work.

Once you have obtained the file from a site like Gamebase64 or the CSDb and have the file unpacked, use VICE to “attach and load” the game file and you’re off! Make sure your USB game pad is plugged in to a USB port before you load VICE, otherwise it will not detect the device in Settings / Joystick Settings.

There are two cracktros to bypass with your space bar, and again you’ll get into the game with another tap of the space key. This is one of those times I prefer to use Warp Mode to load a game in VICE. The initial load time is a bit slow.

Before you begin, you have the choice to be a man or a woman (“boy” or “girl”).

As the game goes on you should use the “Save Snapshot Image” option in VICE to save your progress. Get in the habit of using this option with C64 games and giving your snapshot images names that will be easily recognizable later.

You’ll see a score out of 300 on the screen that indicates your accomplishments in the game.

Enjoy the mystery!  You can find it here: http://csdb.dk/release/?id=31587

Other Joystick-Driven Adventure Titles

If you like joystick-driven adventure games with text descriptions and graphics, you might also try the well-known Maniac Mansion by Lucasfilm Games or Trilogy by Mastertronic for something a little unusual. Zack McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a nice example of something that is available in arguably superior format on PC MS-DOS (and FM-Towns) but has some extra charm when played on the C64 where it originated. For example it is pointed out in a review in Compute’s! Gazette from 1988[5]: “Since the games designers know the 1541’s less-than-speedy reputation, a snail icon appears on-screen until the game continues.”

Note that in Venom, a part of Trilogy, you can examine the actual words in the description text to get more detail. In the yellow commands on the right hand side of the screen move your keyboard cursor and select “Exam” then move around in the text and select “roadway.” Then hit the ctrl key or your spacebar. A description of the roadway will appear.

It’s actually quite impressive just how much interactivity there was in Venom. As with most adventure titles you can find manual scans at http://mocagh.org/

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark straddles the line between icon-driven graphical text adventure and computer role-playing game with some real-time action sequences thrown in, and is a good example of a multi-genre title for the C64. The “Recipes and Spells” book includes a red plastic lens as a copy protection measure (without it you cannot read the formulas for the spells which are important in the game, though you can find the decoded text online with a little digging). C64 Sets has several scans of boxed games and instructions and you can find the original Elvira docs there:  http://www.c64sets.com/boxed_sets.html

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark from my personal collection

Computer role-playing games (CRPGs)

In the early days of computing there were not many differences between text adventures and CRPGs, Role-Playing games that were designed for play on computers. Primitive CRPGs were mostly text and numbers/stats based. If they used any graphics at all they were simple character graphics with the player represented on the screen by a symbol like “@” on a backdrop of periods, with walls made of asterisks. These games emphasized the mechanics of tabletop RPG gameplay over real role-playing elements and are often referred to today as “Roguelikes,” in reference to the 1980 classic, though it is worth noting that the game Rogue itself was something of a latecomer to the Commodore 64, and the term is (perhaps inappropriately) retroactively applied to titles like Telengard which was written in 1978. I use the term “Roguelike” much less loosely, however, since it is worth noting that there were many different and unique approaches to the dungeon crawl that are not so easily categorized. The Commodore 64 offered many.

Some early Commodore 64 titles like Cells and Serpents (1982) were good examples of the “text CRPG.” Others like Lord of the Balrogs included very simple graphics.

Of all the game genres available for the C64, the CRPG was admittedly my favorite. It seemed to me that those like the Temple of Apshai made the most use of the C64’s features during the early 1980s, even if such games had their roots in old text-based RPGs on computers with monochrome monitors from the 70s. Home computers like the C64 were much more suited to playing such than game consoles. There always seemed to be another layer in some of the better games, details that I hadn’t yet discovered, tucked away, lurking in dark corners. There were multiple aspects to gameplay such as memorizing map routes, solving riddles, and deciding how your characters would grow over time to meet the challenges in the games. CRPG titles often required strategic thinking in the battles, and this broke up the exploration, character conversations, and questing nicely. To sum it up, CRPGs on the C64 were like many games wrapped up in one, and that was a good thing for someone who liked to juggle multiple things at once in his head.

Lord of the Balrogs

Looking for a primer to get you into C64 role-playing games? Lord of the Balrogs is a simple, fun, and very “primitive retro” way to start.

“Deep in the ancient forest of Zorg is a fortress with six floors, said to contain strange treasures guarded by unearthly monsters. And in the very depths of the fortress, the LORD OF THE BALROGS waits to punish any adventurers who are able to survive the perils above.”

That was the flavor text from the cassette inlay of the game Lord of the Balrogs by Supersoft (1983).

Dare ye face the Lord of the Balrogs?

The game falls somewhere between a text adventure and stats-centric RPG but is simpler than typical examples of either of those genres, with an element of randomness for added replay value. The goal is to gather as many of 6 relics as possible to defeat (yes, you guessed it) the Lord of the Balrogs!

Gameplay involves moving around levels of interconnected rooms and hallways with a simple layout and randomly placed objects and creatures. You can restore your health by eating strangely named foods you will find like “Dragon Cake.”

There’s a rather creative way that the game utilizes a traditional RPG “party” of characters where only one can be chosen to fight at a time. When you enter a room with a creature you hit “B” to Battle the monster, then choose the first letter of the character type to fight with. The party members you can use are: Warrior, Cleric, Amazon, Hobbitt, and Sorcerer.

I encourage you to download the image from the link at GB64.com for use in an emulator. Even if you’re not into games like this one, the program is worth checking out if only for the (unintentionally?) ridiculous introduction. Make sure you have your sound turned on first!

For the sake of example, here are the commands that could be used in the game according to the tape inlay:

N – move NORTH

S – move SOUTH

E – move EAST

W – move WEST

U – go up stairs

D – go down stairs

I – display status of individuals

P – increase the power of an adventurer (if you have the

wand)

L – bring back to life an individual (if you have the chalice)

R – list the relics already captured

T – list the treasures captured

O – open a chest

F – feed on the contents of a chest

B – battle with a monster

M – use magic against a monster

You can find the Lord of the Balrogs file at the Gamebase 64.

Phantasie

The CRPG really came in to its own during the glory days of the Commodore 64. Dungeons and Dragons and other pen and paper-based RPGs were very popular at the time, but they had one limitation: They were for groups of people to enjoy over cola and pretzels with each person (aside from the game master) controlling a character, and typically were not designed as single player character experiences.

When CRPGs like Ultima III and Wizardry started offering not only the basic mechanics of RPG gameplay, but also the ability to control an entire “party” of characters, the RPG experience suddenly wasn’t so limiting anymore.

To this day Origin’s Ultima series remains popular and there are many fan sites and resources available for it, including independent efforts to remake the old games. But for people who want to enjoy the original emulated C64 CRPGs on modern computers -- especially those who aren’t going back to something they played extensively back in the 80s -- there can be many hurdles to enjoyment in the Ultimas. Complex keyboard commands in the Ultima series games might put off new gamers who want to try out the legendary CRPGs. Such things were taken for granted by fans of the CRPG genre back in the 1980s. I loved digging into a big box with a thick manual, but doing so is not very convenient if I’m gaming on the go or casually in an emulator.

With emulation today it takes a dedicated fan to put up with paging through digital copies of documents, not to mention the need to find them in the first place just to play the game. Digital manuals also have another big downside in that they really don’t work well on the same computer when you are looking to play in full screen mode.

For that reason, the Phantasie series of games from SSI are, in my opinion, some of the best CRPGs for play on a C64 emulator. (The Questron series, also from SSI is not far behind) The commands are simple and mostly selectable, with the letter/number keys you need to press obvious or highlighted as the first letter of the option, such as “A” for Attack. The games aren’t “real time,” so if you step away for a while or put VICE in the background you’ll be fine. You can pick up the questing or the battles at your convenience. Unlike the Wizardry and Bard’s Tale series, the top down maps of Phantasie are easier to follow, and there is no need to map 3D mazes out. There is something like an auto-mapping feature in the dungeons as well.

While there might be some “action RPGs” like Gateway to Apshai that are simpler to just pick up and play, they are more arcade like than the turn-based pen and paper tabletop role-playing games that titles like Ultima III sought to simulate with some accuracy on the Commodore 64. Such Zelda-style action RPGs such as Origin’s own Times of Lore generally lack detailed stats and complex, strategic gameplay, or require a gamepad for accuracy or frenzied movement. That’s not to say they don’t offer their own charms, but its a very different play style and approach to gaming.

For a turn-based CRPG that you can get up and walk away from for a few minutes without pausing the game, Phantasie offers ease of gameplay with depth. As I mentioned above, you won’t need to remember what key to press to bring up your Inventory or Attack. This is not to say that it is a “simple” RPG or watered down for beginners, only that it was designed with a great and easy to use interface for its time. It still has its share of stats and numbers, to be sure. The only exception is that the magic spells used in the game have numbers associated with them. Spells 1-4 are different levels of Healing, and spells 37-40 are different levels of Flamebolts, for example. You can find a full list of spells by typing “Phantasie manual” into a search engine. Casting spells may be one of the only times you need to refer to a manual during gameplay. I made a wallpaper image on my desktop with the Phantasie spell numbers integrated into it so I wouldn’t need to open anything but the game itself in a window. Similarly you could just pull them up on a tablet or smartphone if you want to play full screen, or on an original C64 without the physical documentation.

Phantasie II has some minor improvements in quest complexity over Phantasie I, but is very much the same sort of game and the same rules and spell numbers apply. It is a great game to have up in a window while you multitask on your modern computer. Take VICE “snapshots” to save your progress (keep a few, don’t rely on just one over-saved snapshot file) to make jumping back into the game easy, and use the in-game Save feature for an extra backup on the .D64 file itself every now and then. Use the Option in VICE “Always on Top” and slide the window off to the side if you don’t want to closely watch the outcome of a lengthy battle round, but want it to keep running as you do other things on your PC, like check websites, e-mail, or personal messages. Phantasie will wait patiently in the background for your next move once the round has played out.

I still recommend that you read the Phantasie manual if you have time, since it has some very good tips for gameplay that might not be immediately obvious even to a veteran.

Let’s take Phantasie II as our example for a short tutorial. Prior knowledge of what happened in the first Phantasie game is not required.

Kick off the first disk image and you’ll start the game in the town of Pippacot in Phantasie II. Go to the Guild using your cursor keys, and hit the Enter key to select it. Choose “New” to create a new character. There were some very generically named pre-made characters with some levels, but I prefer to start with my own party. If you just want to jump right in and play, you can choose the pre-made characters. Personally I find character creation and improvement to be one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game.

A recommended party consists of: two spell casters (wizards and monks) – as humans or elves, one healer (a priest or a ranger) as a human or dwarf, a thief type (thieves and monks) as a gnome, halfling, or a random creature such as a kobold, sprite, goblin or pixie. You should also have two combatants (fighters and rangers) as humans, dwarves, or a random creature such as troll, ogre, gnoll or lizardman.

You will absolutely need a priest(ess). Healing is important in most CRPGs if you don’t want to be constantly returning to towns to heal up. I would not leave healing up to a Ranger, as you’ll be doing so much healing that a Ranger would not be able to use his fighting skills much beyond the first attack round or two. For my sample play I chose a Dwarf Priest, and with my luck he happened to have good strength so he can dish out a good whack or two on the enemy before needing to resort to healing spells for his companions.

Don’t “KEEP” characters with poor statistics. Generate them over again until you get decent, if not perfect, stats. A fighter should have strength and constitution scores of around 18 or higher, and a magic user like a Wizard should have a high intelligence. A thief should have good dexterity. No character should have a poor (less than 10) constitution, which governs hit points and durability in battle. A low charisma score makes training very expensive, and that can hurt the random creature races that tend to be shunned and by the other races and have low charisma scores as a result. A party half-filled with random creatures might be exotic and neat, but difficult to level up. I’d limit your random “monster” races to two in your party at a maximum. Random creatures can surprise and so can random statistics – you might “roll” (referring to dice in tabletop RPG character generation) a very good Goblin fighter right after rolling a very poor Troll fighter.

Don’t focus too much on getting something specific like an excellent Pixie thief; it’s better and less frustrating to just to take some great unexpected stats from a random race. Note that with magic-using classes where it says “SPELLS” = 1 or 5, that means when prompted for the spell number you can only cast spells #1 or #5 until you get more training.

Head out of town (toggle Warp Mode frequently if you don’t like waiting for areas to load, but remember to toggle it off before you move!), walk around the countryside for a bit and fight some monsters with your cheap starting robes, clubs, and small shields. You may as well get some use out of them, right? Use plenty of healing on characters who get hit. Even a seemingly massive group of Kobolds can go down quickly without any of your characters dying if you use a good healing strategy and didn’t accept any characters with poor constitution (low hit points) during character generation.

Have your Wizard cast spell #5 at the enemy, as it tends to be the most effective at blasting weak monsters. When prompted for your spell, just type “5” and hit the enter key (the +1 / +10 menu interface is not required). Remember, in the beginning, it will be spell #1 to Heal for priests, and #5 Fireflash for wizards.

The combat screen is not much to marvel at, but has good representations of your individual characters facing your enemies. Think of them all like miniatures placed on a tabletop. The combat interface is straightforward. Choose an action other than PARRY (unless your character is near death or over matched) and that will remain the default combat option until you change it. Once you’ve chosen “Thrust” for most characters, you can select “Cast 5” for your Wizard (or Monk) and “Cast 1” when your characters start taking damage in successive rounds with your Priest.

Select “GO ON FIGHTING” to continue. In some rounds this is the only thing you’ll need to select.

I’ve found that, at least in the early stages, the best strategy is to THRUST or LUNGE at monsters that are hard to hit, and ATTACK or SLASH at those that are easily hit. A thief can sneak to the rear rows to hit other monsters.

Head back to town to improve your characters and cash in on experience and gold. Distribute it evenly. All of the gold assigned to characters when they were generated was automatically deposited into their accounts in the bank. Before buying equipment and items at the Armory or buying spellcasting lessons and training at the Guild, gold needs to be withdrawn from the bank. Characters should take enough to cover wilderness expenses, too, for stays at inns, bribes, or purchases in the dungeons. Each of these will cost around 250 gold outside of Pippacot.

First, go to the bank where your money is automatically deposited, withdraw most of it, then go and buy better equipment for your characters at the armory. Next, rest at an inn and choose “DISTRIBUTE” instead of exiting. This is perhaps the only odd and non-standard / unintuitive step even for people familiar with CRPGs. In a typical game of the genre you can select individual character inventory. While it can seem cumbersome to re-equip characters, it also offers a quick way of selling inferior equipment you’ve collected all in one shot. Once you have a hammer or leather armor equipped, you won’t need to be a pack rat and hold on to those clubs and robes your characters started with, so “sell” away!

After some time of building experience from combat, head back to town, train your characters, and try to learn new spells.

Note the “scrolls” named “Scroll A” and “Scroll B” in the Armory. You might assume that they are combat related but they are not, and they won’t disappear after you use them (you can only use them in towns). Buy them for your top character only and exit the Armory. Type “U” to Use Item, then after refusing to “Print,” you’ll see a message that refers to the “dungeon” that is to the west of your starting town.

When the party nears a dungeon (or similar encounter area like the Kobold Village), you will be asked if you wish to enter. Answer “Yes,” and you will be asked to insert another disk. You will need to go into the VICE menu and select Attach Disk Image to Drive 8, then select PHANT2B.D64, the second disk image you downloaded and unzipped to wherever you keep your C64 game files (or just choose from the drop down list in C64 Forever). Then hit a key and the dungeon will begin loading. Choose “No” when asked to leave out of an exit immediately after you arrive inside or you’ll leave.

Healing potions restore a character’s hit points while magic potions restore a character’s magic points. They come in different strengths with the higher the numbers restoring more points. They are quite handy to have in your inventory.

After several fights and some exploring, see the “Mystic” in town, and you will get an idea of how far you have progressed in the game.

You now have all of the basic knowledge you’ll need to enjoy a classic CRPG in an emulator with Phantasie I & II. Happy dungeon delving!

Below the Root

Every once and a while I’ll come across a form of entertainment that evokes an emotional response that might not have been intended by the creators. In the case of Below the Root, for me, as a 13 year-old boy, it was a lingering sense of creepiness. It was a Commodore 64 game designed with very little violence encouraged or allowed, yet it managed to keep me on edge and set my imagination on fire with possibilities of what danger might lie in wait on the next screen. Perhaps it was the feeling of night in the black background or the fact that your character could be kidnapped by one of the two factions in the game and thrown into prison. Some elements of the tension might be difficult to reproduce if this game were to be remade with colors and modern graphics, and that is what makes it a perfect candidate for enjoyment in its original form.

The source material, pulled from a series of Science Fantasy stories, made it unlike any other game I’d played before. It was based on Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s Green Sky Trilogy, published in the late 1970s. Unlike the typical computer game based on pre-existing source material, this game was taken quite seriously as an extension of her world by the author. In that sense it is a rarity in gaming even to this day. How many games based on an existing fictional world from novels (or television shows or movies) can you think of that were not only approved of by the author / creators, but considered “canon” extensions of the storyline?

Playing as little Pomma in Below the Root

Nearly three decades have passed and there are few examples that I’ve seen where games are used to add to traditional written word fiction. Typically a computer or console game is a reflection of a story or considered an unofficial spin-off that is not recognized by fans of the main body of fiction as genuine.

Technically Below the Root was a superior effort for the time and not derivative of any one particular genre of game. It had action, adventure, and even role-playing elements. It allowed open movement around a large map that allowed many screens of movement up into the trees and limbs and underground. Due to the nature of the story and the ability of the characters to “fly” in the game, there was much more freedom of movement s 2D “platform” sort of way.

To access many of the commands in the game, pull the joystick (or your game pad or cursor keys) down while hitting the “fire” button. You will see a long list of commands. Give them all a try. The graphics are detailed and strangely alluring despite being primitive by today’s standards. Look around and try to interact with items. There is value and fun to be found in free exploration in the game. Avoid following any video walkthroughs available online unless you are stuck or confused.

While the interface is simple enough to figure out in a few minutes of play, the point of the game may not be readily apparent, so I suggest hunting down a copy of the manual online for the options, story, and background. This is not a typical “kill the evil wizard” sort of game, and the manual will help you understand the unusual SF/Fantasy setting if you have not read the books.

Even the actions you can perform in the game are atypical of most adventures. You can use a “shuba” to fly between huge treetop branches like a flying squirrel (the story takes place on a low-gravity planet). You can “pense” (sense telepathically or otherwise) the feelings of other characters in the game, and this is useful for determining their motivations. Watch the short demo that will play if you select “Sample Quest” on the main menu for more gameplay tips.

There is a site dedicated to Below the Root and the Green Sky Trilogy under the name of “The World of Green Sky.” As with other links in this book, I cannot guarantee it will still be out there by the time you read this, but it has been on the Internet for many years. It includes helpful walkthroughs with screen shots well as ample back story information. Reading up a bit on the story and the goals of the game is highly recommended, because it is not a typical game. You can find the World of Green Sky here: http://www.angelfire.com/sk/greensky/gsframe.html.

If you like what you see, I suggest that you pick up a copy of one of the reprinted Green Sky Trilogy books that were re-released a few years back. If you want to get a child into C64 gaming, having her or him read the Green Sky Trilogy might be the perfect lead-in to playing the officially recognized “sequel” in Below the Root.

Note that this is a multi-disk game (BELOWTR0.D64 is “Side 1” and BELOWTR1.D64 is “Side 2”), meaning the original game shipped on a dual-sided floppy. Just remember to “attach” the second disk image (BELOWTR1.D64) when prompted.

You can find Below the Root here: http://csdb.dk/release/?id=61899

Adventure Construction Set

Back in 1985 Electronic Arts came out with a rather revolutionary game-creation tool called Adventure Construction Set, or “ACS.” It was a graphical adventure game that might have been more accurately titled “RPG Construction Set.” It allowed budding game developers to try their hands at making a variety of top-down RPG style adventures in a wide range of possible genres with existing tile sets for fantasy, science fiction, and crime/murder mysteries. Custom tile sets were also possible and easy to make. Not only was it a great tool for an Ultima fan like me to try making my own CRPG, but it was one of the first commercially sold tools for user-created content in a game like it.

It included a few pre-made games as well, so it was entertaining even if you never took the time to create your own games. I remember creating one I titled “Adept’s Revenge” that was based on the monsters in the game Archon II: Adept (also by Electronic Arts), using the tool. Sadly, I bit off more than I could chew and never completed the game to my satisfaction. The disk was lost to time.

ACS was, in my opinion a fantastic and underrated tool. The music by Dave Warhol was captivating, and the title screen of adventurers headed up a road to a castle on a cliff kicked off a long and interesting SID chiptune that’s been in my head ever since I first heard it in the 80s. Follow the link to play the tune in a pop-up window http://gb64.com/sidplayer.php?GA_Id=143 and select song #3, or find track 3 at a place like Stone Oakvalley’s Authentic SID Collection. Wait a bit and you will hear a nice and lengthy song. Subtune #2, for the sci-fi themed games, was also quite nice.

Using ACS you can create your own titles like those of Questron, Magic Candle, Mars Saga, Rescue at Rigel and others without requiring any experience with programming. Since I've always loved creating my own adventures, it was not a matter of if, but when I would buy my own copy of ACS when it was released on the market. It was not an “Ultima clone,” however, and had a simpler joystick-based control system that was easy to use (without the cryptic assortment of keyboard commands the Ultimas used). Unlike some of the other text-based “adventure writer” programs that were also available for the C64, ACS was a visual tool that was easy to manipulate without the need for memorizing codes or a pseudo programming language.

One of the pre-made games that came with Adventure Construction Set

Emulation Tip: The characters in ACS tended to move a bit sluggishly and load times were a bit long on the C64. These are problems that can be overcome today thanks to the modern wonders of emulation. Toggling Warp Mode on and off, for example, takes care of the sometimes long load times. In WinVICE the “Maximum Speed” setting can also be custom set to 120% and not impact the gameplay. If you feel things are moving a little slowly in any C64 game, setting Maximum Speed higher will result in faster gameplay, and 120% seems to be just about right for ACS.

You can find ACS here: http://csdb.dk/release/?id=65957

ACS: Rivers of Light

Adventure Construction Set included several mini-adventures in a single Land of Adventuria pre-constructed adventure, but it also had a full-length RPG/Adventure game titled Rivers of Light.

I had so much fun creating games for ACS way back when that I only ever got around to completing some of the mini-adventures in Aventuria, and only briefly played Rivers of Light. RoL probably didn’t appeal to me as much as a 14-year-old as it does today.

RoL is set in ancient Egypt and some locations and lore are based in real places and historical fact. The intro is a bit bare, but one of the great features of the game is in the ability to add full screen text descriptions of locations, conversations with characters and introductions where needed, and RoL took advantage of every opportunity, more than making up for the lack of direction given in the manual.

An example of one of many text description screens in Rivers of Light

As a traditional Western RPG type of adventure game, where you go and what you decide to do is more or less open ended. That said, you’ll find some obstacles that need be overcome to allow progression into other parts of the map. While you can see a few places on the main map once you load RoL, you have no skill at swimming and need to obtain that ability first. You should head to the mountain pass or cave-like spot to your northeast, in the mountainous area. The cave/entrance is easy to miss unless you’re looking for it, and you’ll see a few of these in other parts of the game, so watch for them. In fact, there’s another cave/hole immediately inside the Ancient Valley.

There are stores to purchase items, quests to complete, and items to collect, so be sure to thoroughly scour the Ancient Valley. When you need to give an item to another character just use the “Drop” command and drop it onto the person you’re interacting with. A hint: you’ll need to drop a statue onto the hunter who teaches you how to swim, and getting it made will require interacting with another character in the area.

The green bar on the left is an indicator of how far you can move before other creatures have an opportunity to move (or appear on screen).While it makes sense from a game mechanics standpoint given that monsters might be moving from off-screen into the area you are in, the pause between moves can be a little sluggish and annoying. Press the fire button and check out some of the options available to you. Make sure you keep track of what’s in your inventory and what you have equipped. I recommend both saving in-game and taking a snapshot in your emulator for ease of loading.

If you obtain the game from the Gamebase64 collection, the disk for Rivers of Light has already been created. So when asked to “insert” that disk, just “attach” the disk image ADVCSET2 that has “Rivers of Light” in the disk directory (look at the directory window in the bottom of the disk selection screen in WinVICE). The original game came with a single floppy disk and required that you create your own game disks with frequent disk swapping involved, so this is a nice convenience.

Downloading more adventures, and ACK

There were a few factors that went against Adventure Construction Set back in the 1980s. One was that in order to share the games you had created with your friends; they also had to own a copy of ACS. Not only that, but they had to own the same type of computer (a Commodore 64, Apple IIe, or Amiga) as well. And unlike today, where you can go and download one of hundreds if not thousands of user-created games for a PC game like Neverwinter Nights, unless you and your friends had modems and a means to share programs, you had to rely on the so-called “sneaker net” and probably more than a little bit of illegal disk copying for friends unwilling or unable to purchase the original program.

ACS was a great game creator that was ahead of its time, and it deserves a second look today. Still want to play it? Perhaps create your own retro games?

You can download the game files at GB64.com or the CSDb.

Chapter Five:

Action Games

For many C64 owners and enthusiasts past and present the Commodore 64 was not so much a computer as it was an action game console with a tape drive meant for loading games, not saving them. I've  been contacted over the years not just by original C64 owners who are action game fans, but by their little brothers and sisters who had a C64 passed down to them as an entertainment console once productivity tasks had begun moving onto MS Windows in the 1990s. For them and many newcomers to the C64, well-known action titles are what keep them coming back for more.

In my retrospective appreciation of the C64 and exploration of the programs made for it, I’ve had my eyes opened to a wide variety of titles that I might have skipped over back in the day due to my hyper-focus on adventure, strategy, and role-playing type games. Undeniably fun, the best C64 action games also make good candidates for playing off on the side in an emulator when you need a break during a tough day. Action games are also great when you want to test a game out in a new emulation environment because they are the most demanding in terms of accuracy of controls. The strength of a portable version of a C64 emulator can be judged in large part by how effectively the joystick is simulated on a touch screen in an action game like Jumpman.

Perhaps due to the convenience of a real joystick, or the fact that I don’t like keeping my C64 on for hours as is dictated by long sessions in strategy and CRPG titles, when I use real hardware I find action games to be the best suited for short stints on an actual C64. They also tend to be easier to load with devices like the SD2IEC than multi-disk titles or games where saving progress to a save disk is required.

One thing I discovered in my journey through old titles has been the popularity of what I like to call “avoidy” isometric action adventure games from the UK and Europe. In these titles you traverse screens looking for items to solve the game similar to an adventure while you avoid moving obstacles which can remove your health and eventually kill you. Depending on the title, you may or may not be allowed to remove / kill the creatures that impede your progress. A modern example of a good “avoidy” title is Darkness by Achim Volkers & Trevor Storey, released by Psytronik Software in 2014.  The closest examples I can think of from U.S. publishers were Realm of Impossibility discussed later in this book and Shamus from Synapse Software in 1983, a favorite of mine both on the C64 and VIC-20, though more of a shooter like Berserk.

In this chapter I will introduce some of those casual games, both well-known and obscure. I’ll start out with a few simple ones. These titles are also great if you want to introduce someone who is not familiar with the C64 to emulation.

I’m sure that any C64 fan who reads this chapter will feel that I left out some great titles like Turrican or The Last Ninja that should have been covered in detail, but covering every great action game for the C64 is the job for another (very large!) book. I’ve also seen these titles covered in some excellent coffee table photo-heavy books about the C64 that have been released since I published the first version of a Commodore 64 Walkabout. To be sure, The Last Ninja series probably deserves its own chapter - or book- since it has inspired countless music remixes and was a C64 fan favorite. My goal here, however, is to introduce a few action titles that perform well in emulation without any need for additional documentation, excessive keyboard interaction, or prior experience. The images (aka “romz”) for these games are also great for use on a real C64 with modern devices that simulate disk or tape images such as SD2IEC mentioned above.

If you want to navigate through the huge selection of other action titles for the C64, I suggest you check out user reviews at sites such as the venerable Lemon64.com where games are rated on a scale of 1-10. You might be inspired to play the game AirWolf, for example, but Lemon64 will give you fair warning in advance about the rather harsh difficulty level of that game. I often take a look at Lemon64 before making an impulse purchase of any game I find at auction so I can avoid the … lemons!

To find these games for download, simply search by name at GB64.com, the CSDb, or whatever your favorite repository might be.

Blueprint

The first action game I’d like to introduce is a solid candidate for emulation, but also a good cartridge title for plug-and-play enjoyment on a real C64 if you can find a copy on an auction site. Published by Commodore, Blueprint was one of the first C64 games I ever owned, and the addictive gameplay kept me coming back for more whenever I wanted a quick diversion without the hassle of loading something from disk or tape.

Frantically running from house to house looking for parts in Commodore’s Blueprint

The concept behind this early (1983) C64 game is simple but challenging, The player as “J.J.” must save his girlfriend Loni who is being chased by an ogre at the top of the screen. JJ must assemble a device from parts found in the houses in the middle of the screen, Just rush in and out of each of the small houses and obtain a part for a machine at the bottom of the screen. Some houses contain bombs, not parts, and those bombs must be tossed into the “bomb pit” at the lower right of the screen before they explode. All the while, the baddie that is chasing JJ’s girl at the top of the screen is getting closer by the second. You can hold down the fire button for brief spurts of speed. Once the machine is assembled, hit the “start” button and use it to shoot the baddy! Don’t make the mistake of thinking it will be easy! Memory is just as key as quick reactions here because you won’t find a new piece for the machine in a home that you’ve already entered once previously.

Note that in the file that was up at GB64.com, you need to hit the Esc key on your PC (Run/Stop on the C64) keyboard to get out of the screen with the instructions. I also needed to “Swap Joysticks” in the Options menu since this game uses joystick port 1.

This game requires particularly precise joystick control when moving between houses, and while it is a good test of your reflexes with a real joystick, you may find it much more challenging if played on sloppy touchscreen controls or using a keyboard, so watch out!

CJ

The starting area in CJ’s fourth game

CJ is a much newer title than Blueprint. It is a platform type of game that most console gamers will be familiar with. This is actually the fourth CJ game, but is simply named. “CJ” is a cute little elephant on a mission. What mission? It’s not really important, though if you are into that sort of thing I’d welcome reading more on a CJ tribute site!

Shoot from CJ’s trunk with the fire button, and hurl little pumpkin-looking bombs by pulling down on the joystick/gamepad. Some of the hardest parts are right near the start, including a tricky downwards diagonal jump over water that may take you a couple of tries. It’s worth playing as far along as you can. If you’re good enough you’ll be able to play this one through to completion in a few tries, and that’s a nice reward in itself.

This title is a good example of the C64 being able to cater to the game console crowd (without being a well-known arcade title ported over) since it both looks and plays like something you'd find on a console platform.

Dizzy – Prince of the Yolkfolk!

While it is nearly impossible to avoid the name “Mario” in Nintendo gaming circles, there was also an iconic game character for Commodore 64 owners who spawned several budget software titles. His name was “Dizzy,” from British software developer Codemasters.

The Dizzy series was long-running and very popular in the UK and elsewhere in Europe where cheap games could be had on tape. While many such budget games were disappointing duds, the Dizzy titles were generally solid from what I’ve seen. At first glance Dizzy - Prince of the Yolkfolk! appears to be a platformer like CJ, but it is actually deeper than that. An inventory system that is easy to manage, objects that can be used, and puzzles to be solved by “talking” to various characters throughout the game make it much more than just a platform game. At the same time, skill at jumping and navigating your way through many screens of physical challenges stops the game from becoming a dull item fetch quest, or one where you simply avoid monsters. Of all of the games in this list, this Dizzy game may prove to be the “hook” that gets a new player interested in C64 gaming. Why did I choose this one? This title among the Dizzy titles struck me as more intuitive and easier to play than some of the others. That said, I’ve seen some neat-looking Dizzy collections on sale at auction and some of the titles I have yet to try for myself.

Not sure of how to start with Prince of the Yolkfolk! ? Here’s a tip: pick up and use the items in the first room you’re trapped in to burn down the door.

Dizzy fansites such as http://www.yolkfolk.com/games/official exist but they are not necessarily tied to the C64 since over a dozen Dizzy titles were available on different platforms over the years. There are even fan-created Dizzy titles out there available for download if you can’t get enough of the original titles.

Mayhem in Monsterland

Mayhem in Monsterland one of the slickest action games I’ve seen on the Commodore 64 from the early 90s. Released a full decade after the C64 was introduced, it is a great example of how games improved over the years on the platform and how programmers learned to optimize and squeeze the full power out of the computer through creative coding tricks (something of a lost art on the PC today, where games often demand newer, faster hardware every year). Gameplay is essentially like that of the well-known Nintendo title Super Mario World. Jump on top of the baddies to make them disappear, and try to make your way through Monsterland!

The intro screen and speed of animation is impressive, as are the sounds. It really doesn’t translate well through a screen shot, however, so you should see it for yourself. If you want to wow someone who thinks the Commodore 64 had nothing better than a crude imitation of Space Invaders to play, then this is a good game to show off in your emulator. To be sure, there are better games that have been released in recent years, but they cannot claim to have been made while the C64 was still in its heyday.

The file may start with a prompt for “Intro or Game” so remember to hit the first letter on your keyboard when prompted. Hit “G” to start the game.

Psytronik software released a 15th anniversary edition if you would like to own a neat physical copy along with a digital file: http://www.psytronik.net/newsite/index.php/c64/25-mayhem

Omidar

Omidar is a virtual clone of a game titled Amidar. Many remakes of this game appeared over the years, but Omidar is one of the better ones. The main character, an ape (or a paint roller), must collect “coconuts” while clearing sections of the screen in rectangles. Whenever a rectangular portion of the board is cleared (either by collecting all surrounding coconuts, or painting all surrounding edges), the rectangle is colored in, and bonus points are awarded. Clear the entire screen and you can move on to the next level.

There is nothing uniquely “C64” about this game, but it is one of several that I like to have in a set of action titles on hand for others to try. It is easy to learn to play, has nice music and so-so sound effects, and is a decent representation of gaming on the C64 for a newcomer.

The version here at the CSDb http://csdb.dk/release/?id=103746 has an excellent introduction with instructions. Just remember that “Run/Stop” is the equivalent of “Esc” on your modern keyboard if enjoying this on PC emulation.

Double Sphere

Double Sphere starts off with some great SID music, intros, and artwork, and is perfect as a distraction on a lazy afternoon. At first glance it looks like a gussied-up Pong clone, but it is actually closer to soccer or basketball as you can control the ball, take it all the way to the other side of the screen, and shoot at will.

The gameplay appears a bit chaotic at first, but it won’t take long for you to figure out once you determine which astronaut-looking player you are controlling. Unfortunately the two players are distinguished only by different shades of blue. You control your flying astronaut player and also have control to the left and right of a support “bat” (something like a Pong or Breakout paddle) at the bottom of the screen. The goal is to take the ball and shoot it into the opponent’s goal as it moves up and down. Again, the goals are differentiated only by a slight difference in color.

There are a few tips for playing this game in an emulator. First, in VICE, go to the Options drop down menu and check “True Drive Emulation.” Without this checked the program may hang at the “Please Wait” screen. You may also encounter a crash if you try to launch the game in NTSC Video Standard, so change it to PAL-G in the Options menu in VICE. Keep this in mind for other games as well if they hang on you. Once you’ve set that you can load the game successfully.

Rather than blow through all of the loading screens with Warp Mode, you may want to listen to the excellent SID tunes. Remember to press the Space bar if you hit a screen that lingers for too long. Once you have “True Drive Emulation” checked and you’ve exited VICE with “Save Settings on Exit” checked, you can just double click the Double Sphere file if you’ve set up File Associations as I’ve described in earlier.

Once you get to the title screen, make sure your emulator is set to use Joystick Port #2, choose music or sound effects, hit the fire button and you’re off!

Bloodwheels

As if the Commodore 64 didn’t have enough old games you’ve never played, the fantastic site “Games That Weren’t 64” regularly adds more discoveries of games once thought lost to time, both complete and incomplete. There’s something satisfying about playing a game that’s been secreted away in some developer’s attic for 15 years or more, and Bloodwheels is such a game.

It’s a bottom-to-top scrolling shoot ’em up game where you take your place in what looks like an armored car with a gun. Tanks appear to your left and right, harassing you as you try to progress upward. A nice SID chiptune plays in the background.

As a shooter, there is little to describe in the way of gameplay. You shoot or get shot. The tanks are more heavily armored than you and need more than one hit to go down. One exception is that unlike many other shooters, you can stop your vehicle as you progress upwards and think about your next move. In fact, running full bore ahead is not wise since the enemies’ shots come quick and unexpectedly.

Oh, and see the little clusters of barely visible gray dots to the left and right of the vehicle in the center of the screen? They’re mines. If you don’t enlarge your emulator window on a PC, you’re very likely to miss them, especially if you have a large monitor with high resolution settings. You will be left wondering why you just blew up. A typical C64 user had a 13 or 14-inch monitor or similarly sized TV screen, not a tiny postage stamp-sized window running in some other OS, so stretch that emulation window or go full screen.

A joystick is good to have as always, but this one I was also able to play with some success with the Numpad + Right Ctrl setting in VICE.

Happy shooting! You can find this release and other recently discovered gems by going to the site Games That Weren’t 64. It’s also a fun place to participate in solving the mysteries of games once thought lost, especially if you’re into collecting or think you have something rare in your collection.

Necromancer

Would you like a fast, frantic and fun gameplay experience like no other? The title “Necromancer” conjures up the image of a wizard who specialized in raising undead skeletons, zombies and that sort of thing. But the 1983 Commodore 64 game Necromancer by Synapse Software at first appears to have very little to do with the modern image of Necromancy. After all, the main character, your character on-screen, is a Druid who imbues trees with spirit-like abilities.

So where does the title come from? Your Druid must take down an evil Necromancer, and although there are no waves of zombies and skeletons to deal with, there are other baddies that will harass you and your magically imbued trees throughout the game, and the Necromancer is the dark hand behind it all.

The object and play style of the game changes dramatically between levels, keeping things interesting. The first “level” (of which there are multiple screens) has your Druid controlling a Wisp that serves the dual purpose of defending from attacking ogres while planting and raising tree seedlings into magical trees. Since the ogres cannot attack mature trees, try growing them in a ring to protect a younger group within. Start with a semi circle on one side of the screen, then move to the other to complete your ring of defense. Spreading your trees out will make it too difficult to protect them all effectively.

After your trees have matured, only spiders can poison them. You’ll know if they are poisoned because they emit a heart-rending sound from their screaming mouths. Hover your wisp over a poisoned tree to cure it.

It sounds simple. You need to plant trees, protect the young ones from ogres, then protect mature ones from spiders, while continuing to plant new ones. It’s tougher than it might sound and the action can get quite hectic.

To add further to distraction, there is a pod that floats around and supplies you with more seeds – again requiring interaction with your wisp. The ogre/spider onslaught requires great reflexes and doesn’t let up until you have an army of full-grown trees.

The next level (also with multiple sub-levels) is a little less frantic and is where you’ll have to deploy your mature and mobile trees, reminiscent of the Ents in the Lord of the Rings. Your trees must destroy the hatching area of the spiders that bothered you in the first stage of the game.

Move your wisp to a tree and you’ll then be controlling that tree. The tree must root down into the hatching pits. Hold your fire button while moving your gamepad / joystick if you need to control your Druid again. Use your wisp to revive a tree that has broken through the spider hatching pod, and take it elsewhere. Did I mention the nasty hands that descend from above and snatch your trees away?

The last stage is a bit crazy, and I’ll admit to having a tough time with it. Now it’s you against the Necromancer, and your task is to clear 5 screens worth of tombstones before he’ll go down.

If you want to get through the whole game I strongly suggest the “snapshot” option in VICE. That Necromancer is going to throw everything he has against you to make sure that your task is far from simple!

Realm of Impossibility

Back in 1984 when Electronic Arts was a much, much smaller software developer, software designer Mike Edwards made a revolutionary title that today doesn’t get nearly the credit that it should. The game was the well-named Realm of Impossibility.

Aside from the tricky visuals based on optical illusions and “impossible” backdrops like those popularized by artist M. C. Escher, and the fast paced gameplay, Realm of Impossibility introduced many gamers to a concept summed up in three words: Strategic Cooperative Gameplay. Or as was written on the box: “Featuring a Unique Two Player Cooperative Mode.”

Some older coin-op games might have had play available for two players at the bottom of the screen shooting aliens together, for example, but Realm of Impossibility allowed for another level of multiplayer enjoyment in a simulated “3D” semi-isometric environment that was deeper than a single screen.

This is the kind of feature gamers take for granted today, but you want to break out the dual game pad setup to get a friend to join in some Commodore 64 retro fun, Realm of Impossibility is a good choice. If you try enough of the maps together, you’ll find yourselves shouting at each other “Help!” “No, that’s the wrong ladder!” with a bit of the old psychological leaning to make your on screen selves run faster (as we all know leaning makes your joystick/gamepad work better!).

Fans of non-violent video games should also take note you run away from the monsters in this game. Perhaps it’s better to say that you run for your lives! There is no hack and slash in this game, despite the dark temples, “treasure” hunting, and creatures within. It’s a new sort of twist that adds another layer of uniqueness to playing Realm of Impossibility. There is no “boomstick” here, but plenty of zombies. Who would’ve thought you could have a game like this without rotten heads exploding and green limbs a’ flying?

So, on to the gameplay …

First, if you have the version of the game with the “trainer” in it, don’t forget that “Run/Stop” is the Esc key on a regular PC keyboard. Otherwise you’ll be hitting the space key forever reading the introduction over and over.

And once the EA symbols seem like they’ll never stop flashing (use Warp Mode in VICE), hit the space key to continue.

Choose “Play High-score” (H), then follow up with (N), N, N … No! – to all of those cheats that ruin the fun.

Wow, those trainer/intros/cheats can be a pain, huh? Exactly why some people swear by “No Intro” type disk images of old games. I have to think that such a cracked, yet otherwise unchanged version of this game exists out there somewhere …

Anyway, once you’re in the game, the object is simple. Get to the “end” of each of the thirteen dungeons of Wistrik the Evil, get a key or a crown … and get out!

Sounds easy, but it’s not. The optical illusions can trip you up, and there are always a bunch of monsters that make a bee line for you in every “room” you enter, which gives you little time to decide the correct path you need to take to move on. If you don’t see an obvious exit to the room / section you are in, then look for an opening along the walls where a path seems to continue – don’t assume that is a dead end.

Use the joystick/gamepad fire button to drop “crosses” that will block the path of the creatures (Zombies, Snakes, and more) chasing you, but keep in mind that they will disappear after a few seconds!

When you see what looks like a little stick on a base or altar, go and grab it – it’s a scroll that will allow you to get past some of the more tricky screens without losing too much of your health (hit points) along the way.

Here are the spells you can pick up:

Freeze: Holds monsters in place for a short duration

Protect: Makes the player immune to damage for a time

Confuse: Send monsters off wandering in a daze for a while

If you want to get through all of the stages you might want to use the Snapshot option in VICE to allow for a casual way to jump back into the game at any time.

Just remember, quick thinking is a must in the Dungeons of Wistrik the Evil.

Don’t let the optical illusions fool you into a dead end!

Gateway to Apshai

Way back in 1983, Epyx published Gateway to Apshai. It was a prequel of sorts for the long running, multi-platform Apshai series that was more of a traditional, turn-based RPG with an array of keyboard commands and a book of room descriptions thick enough to warm the cockles of a geeky CRPGer’s heart.

Gateway to Apshai was a much different sort of action-oriented RPG that offered casual gameplay with a wide array of different dungeon layouts. Because of its fast-paced action and less emphasis on keyboard interaction, it was the kind of game you could kick back and play on the sofa, or enjoy with a friend heckling you as a monster chased you around the screen.

This game, in my opinion, still stands as one of the most enjoyable games published for the Commodore 64, and is one you really should try. The pacing is just right and the sounds, while crude, add to the addictive atmosphere of the game almost like the sound effects used in Pac Man seem to. It was offered on a couple of other systems, including the Atari 800 and Colecovision, each of which had their own technical differences with the C64 version, but the fact remains that Gateway to Apshai was a game that many Commodore 64 gamers remember publisher Epyx for, along with their Olympics-related games. This is not just my opinion – Gateway to Apshai was included on the C64 “30 Games in One” plug and play connect to TV joystick device released in 2004 by Mammoth Toys.

Gameplay was not so different from modern action RPGs like Diablo. You’ll run through a variety of dungeons picking up better weapons and armor, magic scrolls and treasure along the way. To keep things fast-paced, each level has a timer. After about 6 minutes, you are automatically teleported to the next, deeper level of the dungeon. This means you’ll want to gather the best treasure/equipment available – because you’ll need it to face the tougher creatures waiting for you as you progress. While an admirable attempt was made to have the game playable exclusively by joystick, the fact was that the typical C64 controller of the day had only one “fire” button. Instead of using B, C, or shoulder buttons on a modern gamepad to scroll through various options, it was necessary to use the function keys on the C64 keyboard for some actions. This can be a bit awkward at first, but once you’ve tried the function keys out a few times you’ll get the hang of it.

Summer Games

Among some of the most popular C64 games were Epyx’s Summer Games series, and the Tynesoft Summer Olympiad titles.

Back in 1984 the Olympics were a hot topic, being hosted then in Los Angeles by the United States. Epyx made the wise choice to cash in on the hype and make a game that was relevant and had wide appeal. With hundreds of thousands of Commodore 64s in U.S. homes, and gameplay that was easy for anyone to pick up quickly (even a joystick-breaking friend who might otherwise have no interest in your C64 or computer games), Summer Games was a hit. Think of it like the Guitar Hero of the 1980s. The action could require physical exertion in a way that might surprise modern gamers -- considering that it was played only with an old-school joystick. It was such a hit for Epyx, in fact, that in addition to a quick follow-up sequel in 1985 named Summer Games II (with new events), the Games series was spun off into the Winter Games, World Games, and California Games titles over the following years.

It’s worth noting that while Epyx got its start in the late 70s with RPG games like Dunjonquest: Morloc’s Tower, and Temple of Apshai, and had a wide variety of games made before and after the Games series, many more casual and action gamers who shunned CRPG’s remember Epyx only for its Fastload cartridge and the Olympic-style Games series.

Tynesoft was a UK developer that joined in the Olympic Games-type genre some years later (1988) with Summer Olympiad and Winter Olympiad games (Renamed “Summer Challenge” for the U.S. market). These are also worth checking out if you’re interested in the genre.

The gameplay, depending on the Olympic event, often involves some form of rapid button mashing or joystick action to simulate (among other events) running, swimming, jumping or cycling. For instance, in the Cycling event in Summer Games II, you need to get a rhythm going and move your joystick/gamepad in a circular motion to simulate pedaling. Back in the day, with the exception of a few gems, most Commodore 64 joysticks were not sufficiently sensitive to movement and needed to be jammed back and forth quickly for some events. This game genre no doubt led to some quick deaths for less durable joysticks. A digital USB gamepad used with an emulator today may not suffer the same kind of damage, but could still leave your thumbs numb!

Loading some of the events can take a good 30 seconds, so use Warp Mode in VICE if it will allow you to do so without giving the other guy a head start…

Jumpman and Ultimate Wizard

One of the better-known C64 action games I come back to play repeatedly is Jumpman, an early title by Randy Glover, also published by Epyx. It stands the test of time very well despite its primitive graphics. Some of the appeal is in controlling the movement of the character precisely in the game, trying to land just right while being threatened on multiple fronts. There is quite a bit of strategy involved in tackling what might look at first like a simple platformer. Deaths can be frequent, but the mode of failure can often be quite amusing, especially if you tackle the game with a friend.

In the game the player must defuse bombs around the screen. But with each bomb he defuses, the layout of the platforms will change. Remove a bomb in one spot, and a ladder will disappear in another, for example. If that wasn't bad enough, “smart darts” (that sound a lot more like bullets when they come after you) will target you once they discover your position on the screen. You'll often find yourself in the middle of a jump when a smart dart will shoot you down mercilessly. Avoiding smart darts and disappearing landing spots is crucial if you want to defuse all bombs on a screen without running out of lives first. You'll soon discover better patterns of attacking a screen, though the discovery will often come after a string of painful deaths. This game in its default settings is difficult for sure, but not excessively so.

Fans of Jumpman will also find much to like in Ultimate Wizard, a strikingly similar game from Electronic Arts that builds on the concept and offers much more variety of gameplay, if not the same sort of agile jumping maneuvers. One of the programmers of Wizard made the claim that the points of similarity between it and Jumpman were only coincidental, but the death animation makes me seriously question that claim. Ultimate Wizard also boasts a fine level construction kit if you are up for sharing your creations with the rest of the retro gaming community. Gameplay in Ultimate Wizard can best be observed in the Demonstration Mode that is available after loading the title.

You can find Jumpman and Ultimate Wizard at GB64 or the CSDb. As a bit of trivia Jumpman was also included on the C64 Direct-to-TV device.

Switchblade

With great music by composer Ben Daglish, Switchblade is something of a forgotten gem of a game, possibly because it came out at a time when it and other titles like it were released simultaneously for the more technologically advanced Commodore Amiga. It offers a few key things that help make it playable and help it stand the test of time, however, including: Smooth, responsive controls and movement, varied gameplay, and an accessible level of difficulty. It will also appeal to gamers who grew up on NES or Gameboy platform games as it has that same sort of look and feel to it. Some of the artwork in the intro, for example, looks very Japanese.

I’d never heard of this title back when I owned a C64, and only stumbled onto it in search of box art for another game. Prior to obtaining the game file I will admit that I didn’t expect much from the screen shots at GB64.com. The graphics at first glance were not very impressive. But the NES-style intro and catchy SID tune piqued my curiosity, and gameplay was a very pleasant surprise.

There are plenty of C64 platform games that offer a very meager variety of ways to interact with one’s environment, often only with the ability to jump and shoot. Switchblade takes the basics of platform gaming and adds more depth and even some of the feel of a side-scrolling shooter such as R-Type.

It will take a few tries to get the hang of it, but by holding down the fire button on your USB game pad for differing lengths of time you’ll attack differently. For example, if you hold down your button only for a brief moment, you will punch. A bit longer and you’ll kick. Hold it down until the indicator bar is full and you’ll perform a low sweeping kick good for creatures close to the ground. And that’s not all. Picking up a variety of weapons in the game as you progress will add further variety and firepower to your character. You start with your fists and feet, but ranged weapons are picked up later, and in the case of those you’ll want to hold down your fire button for as long as possible to get maximum effect.

Navigating the underground complex of platforms and ladders in Switchblade

Some items in the game like boxes are destructible and may contain bonuses. Walls may also be kicked down to reveal hidden passageways. Enemies are varied enough to be interesting and get larger as you go on. The allure of bonuses and secret areas to explore keep you interested in your surroundings and instead of quickly blowing past them you’ll want to check around a bit in each new area.

Other aspects of gameplay are very much like you’d expect on a Game Boy or Nintendo NES, and after playing for a while you’ll see how this one could have been ported to either system easily, at least in concept. Despite the Japanese look and feel (down to the character design and even the fonts used), however, this one was an original from Gremlin Graphics Software.

Now, on to loading the game!

Once you have the file auto-attached and running, you’ll need to bypass a few annoying cracktro screens, including a screen of cycling garbage text before it loads up. As always, I recommend that you use Warp Mode in VICE to bypass this sort of inconvenience. Add in a few taps of your space bar, the escape key (for “Run/Stop”), or "N" for “no” where applicable, of course.

Give the SID tune by Ben Daglish a listen after you watch the quick intro. Then decide whether you want music or sound effects while playing the game (perhaps the only flaw to this game is the inability to have both at the same time) by moving your joystick left or right. Hit the fire key and you’re off!

Essentially you are “Hiro” (more Japanese influence there, no doubt) out to collect 16 parts of a shattered sword and take your revenge on Havok, the baddie who’s turned your world upside down and populated it with mutant warriors.

You’ll find the game is much more forgiving than some other platformers with your health and lives – so don’t worry about instant death from a single screw up.

I expect you’ll enjoy at least a few of the action games in this chapter as much as I have, so settle into your chair, grab your USB gamepad or original joystick, and enjoy!

Chapter Six:

Strategy and Puzzle Games

There were many strategy titles available for the C64 that are still enjoyable today. They ran from futuristic battle simulations like OGRE and Firezone to multiplayer economics games like M.U.L.E.

I find titles set in original worlds to be much more appealing than realistic historical war simulations for purposes of retro gaming. You can find a modern PC version of a specific World War II conflict, but the worlds introduced in Andromeda Conquest, Sorcerer Lord, and Parthian Kings are unique. Some titles like Lords of Conquest, however, have such addictive gameplay that they deserve mention.

Turn-based strategy games that play like traditional tabletop war games may have lost some of their dominance to RTS (real time strategy) titles in the last decade or two, but they are plentiful in the C64 archives. As a note of interest, the C64 had its own RTS games as early as 1982, believe it or not, with titles such as Legionnaire. As a fan of turn-based strategy, however, I’ve found that the C64 library is more than adequate to scratch the itch of any war gamer. Over 300 games appear on a search of genre for Strategy-War at Gamebase 64.

Lords of Conquest

Lords of Conquest is easy to jump into and a great way to pass the time within a windowed emulator. If you don’t have a joystick on hand it can be played just fine with the numpad or cursors on your PC keyboard.

Once you’ve located the .D64 file and have attached and loaded the game using your favorite Emulator (the cracktro during load time contains some crude language, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing just skip it by hitting the space bar a few times), follow these steps:

Start a new game. Use the defaults to begin your game (beginner, 1 player, etc.)

Exit to map selection.

Note: These next few steps are optional (you can choose a premade map and get on with a game quickly), but generating a custom map is a great opportunity to make your own “user disk.” D64 image, the equivalent of a blank floppy – this is a must in many C64 strategy games and CRPGs.

Have the computer generate a unique map.

To save your map you will be prompted to “insert your personal disk.”

You’ll need to go to the “Attach Image” menu in VICE (or emulator of your choice), and create a new image using the button in the lower right, after choosing a filename. I chose “LordsP” as my .D64 filename. See the screen shot here:

After you’ve created your new .D64 blank floppy image, click “attach” again.

Select file “1” as your save slot, and name the map “Map1,” for example, then proceed.

Next you’ll find yourself on the “Territory Selection” screen. Here you’ll want to consider your game strategy. Games can be won or lost during this phase. You don’t want any of the territories you choose to be surrounded by those owned by the computer (or other players, if you are going with a multiplayer match). One by one, you’ll choose territory as the computer chooses its own.

You’ll notice icons in some of the territories. They indicate an abundance of resources. You’ll want those territories first. Gameplay is quite simple. Try to attack enemy territory that is surrounded or otherwise outmatched by your own. Horses from nearby territories can join your attacks and pick up weapons for extra attack power. Horses, boats, weapons and cities help tip the odds in your favor. Keep your stockpile safe in a territory least susceptible to attack.

Give it a try, I think you’ll find it highly addictive once you get the hang of it! Once you’ve tired of playing the computer, you might consider sharing a snapshot file from VICE with a friend or two and e-mailing the snapshots back and forth to play via e-mail. The random element in this game is lower than some others, so it makes “cheating” (by playing a fight over and over until you win) difficult.

M.U.L.E.

M.U.L.E., short for Multiple Use Labor Element, is unique and fun, the perfect balance of strategy and nail-biting action that makes it a timeless gem and a winner for enjoyment through emulation today.

Published in 1983 by Electronic Arts, the concept behind the game, economic strategy, is one that I recall I did not embrace at first. I’m sure that if I had seen the box on a shelf at Babbage’s (now known as Game Stop) that I would have chosen an RPG like Ultima or The Bard’s Tale instead. A friend got me into the game, and it didn’t take long before the charm of M.U.L.E. had hooked me. Some have called it the inspiration for games like Civilization, and others have compared it to Monopoly. But what M.U.L.E. best represents is the creativity that was in abundance when the C64 was in its heyday and gameplay fun over graphical glitz.

It all starts off with a jaunty musical theme that brings to mind the clopping hooves of the “mule,” selection of your comical character type, neat sound effects, and soon you’re thrown onto a planet as a pioneer, one of four colonists, and asked to choose a plot of land.

What you do with the land you choose is entirely up to you. Once you have your first plot of land you need to outfit a M.U.L.E. with a job program, like mining, by dragging the M.U.L.E. up into the Mining Bay. Once outfitted for mining, you take your M.U.L.E. to the plot you selected, and hit your fire button while centered on your plot to install it there. After that you will start seeing income in the form of whatever resource / job you selected. Mining will bring in smith ore, for instance.

You can win by selling the most surplus product on the market and buying only what you need to make up a shortfall, building out more plots of land for various things like food and electricity production before the end of the game. It may sound dull, but the arcade action and the time limit each turn keeps it enjoyable.

Beyond the simple action fun the game delivers is the heart of the game: strategy. How you manage your resources and how you choose to manipulate the computer (or your friends) is where the game gets really interesting. Play around with the Buy and Sell lines in the Auction phase of the game until you get the hang of it. Best of all, it is extremely multiplayer friendly, so you can play against a friend or two, or even three. Yes, M.U.L.E. was one of the first home computer games to allow 4 players at once,

The joystick was not required for 3 and 4 player games. Those players could use keys on the keyboard to engage in the real-time auctions, and would grab a joystick only for their land grab and outfitting phases. The game makes heavy and innovative use of the joystick/gamepad, and you have to be quick about things. Reaction time is key. I would not recommend this game with emulator keyboard controls simulating a joystick – running around with your M.U.L.E. in tow on a time limit can be quite hectic and requires split second diagonal movement.

Still not convinced? This one game needs to be played to be appreciated, so grab the file from the link at GB64.com and give it a try!

Laser Squad.

Do you prefer squad-based strategy war games in a science fiction atmosphere? If so, Laser Squad is a fantastic title.

Originally made for the ZX Spectrum home computer popular in the UK in 1988 and ported to the Commodore 64, the C64 version still has the familiar black background and monochrome character colors present in many “Speccy” games.The game style is similar to, and an inspiration for the popular X-COM strategy game series for the PC. It also spawned a remake of sorts that came out in 2005 titled “Laser Squad Nemesis.”

At its core, Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics style of strategy game. You control units with attributes that have a certain number of AP’s or “action points” for performing all activities during a turn, including manipulating inventory, moving and attacking. After all of the units under your command have spent all of their AP’s, you select “end turn” to let the enemy take its turn.

Laser Squad is particularly suited for play in an emulator. By using a “snapshot” in VICE, you can mail the snapshot file back and forth to a friend and play by e-mail once you’ve both gotten the hang of playing against the computer. This feature of modern C64 emulators allows casual and infrequent play that is quite different from the old days when one of you needed to turn the other way or leave the room for minutes on end while your friend moved his units around.

Alternately, if you get an account at CommodoreServer.com, you can save your game between turns and share a .D64 file with a friend.

The game uses Joystick Port #1 for single player mode, and I find a USB game pad or the NumPad to be much easier to use than the unusual default keyboard directional controls. Left and right on your controller will rotate you, and pushing up will move your unit forward. Once you’ve selected your single player scenario, you’ll need to deploy your units on RED “D” tiles on the map. That is your starting point. The rest is straightforward turn-based strategy.

A page dedicated to all things Laser Squad can be found at http://www.lasersquad.org/. You can find the manual for the game as well as other useful information there.

Give this classic a chance and it will have you hooked on strategy for hours on end!

Quadpawn

Quadpawn by David M. Moorman from Loadstar/Softdisk Publishing, Inc. is a quick and simple strategy game that uses a 4×4 board and only the pawns from chess.

If you want to learn the basics of chess, or just want to enjoy one aspect of chess in a quick-playing game, Quadpawn is a good choice for a diversion in a busy day. The games take only a few minutes each.

Gameplay is like chess for pawns on a smaller board. Your basic move is a forward move. However, if an enemy pawn is diagonally one square forward and to the left or right, you can capture the enemy pawn and move into that pawn’s square.

Use your cursor keys to select a pawn, then hit enter when on the highlighted pawn (yellow) to move it forward or capture an enemy pawn. The goal is to get a single pawn to the other side of the board.

Quadpawn, a fun diversion in an emulation window

If you think the AI is too easy, even if you use the “remember what I know?” option, try choosing “(y)es” for random moves. In this mode you choose your pawn as normal, but the pawn then decides on its own whether to move forward or capture a diagonal pawn. Random moves adds an element of surprise that I enjoy, though it is harder to win when your pawns have minds of their own!

Gulf Strike and Avalon Hill

Roughly 5 years before the actual Persian Gulf War, a company famous for designing dozens of strategic board games and computer war games such as the popular Axis and Allies series, Avalon Hill, made a game called Gulf Strike for the Commodore 64.

Typical of Avalon Hill game complexity, it is nearly impossible to play without a thick manual on hand. For fans of the sort of deep strategic gameplay that set the C64 apart from console systems of the day like the Nintendo NES, however, it is worth hunting on eBay for a copy, not only for the nearly 50 page manual, maps and command card, but for the eerily prophetic nature of the game.

Three old strategy titles from Avalon Hill

With the U.S.A., Iraq and Iran (among other countries) at each others’ throats in this imagined scenario of what war in the Middle East might look like from a mid-1980s perspective, perhaps more people should have been paying attention to Gulf Strike back when it was released!

Avalon Hill’s other tiles of note (under the “Microcomputer Games” division) include Parthian Kings, another game that benefits greatly from having the documentation on hand, and Legionnaire, one of the first “real time” strategy war games, released back in 1984 on the C64. Andromeda Conquest is another very early example of space colonization and control games from 1982. It lacks fancy graphics entirely, but offers up old-school strategic fun that harkens back to the sort that was popular on the Commodore PET. The box also includes a “galactic mapping grid” tablet to aid you in gameplay.

I recommend that you pick up an early Avalon Hill boxed set if you can find one. Their old games melded the feel of pen and paper war games with computer games in a way that’s been seen rarely since.

Boulder Dash

Bored with Minesweeper in your modern operating system? Why not try something a little more exciting? All you’ll need is a Commodore 64 emulator running on your system to open the door to over a thousand games in the style of Boulder Dash.

The original C64 game, released in 1984 was designed by Peter Liepa and Chris Gray.

It was followed by a long series of Boulder Dash sequels. Because of the relatively static graphics in tiles, hacking the original Boulder Dash to make your own puzzle screens for others to enjoy was probably one of the initial allures for amateur game makers that got them making so many Boulder Dash clones. The concept behind the game is what made it so appealing to a wide audience. Essentially it is a puzzle game with some elements of action – more or less – depending on the variant. Your in-game character must “dig” around a screen-sized map for diamonds and avoid getting crushed by falling boulders or blocking off a method of escape from the maps. The twist is that it is easy to deny yourself access to diamonds or an exit by digging under and dropping boulders haphazardly. The game often requires thinking two or three steps ahead, and that is where the puzzle element comes into play.

The popularity of Boulder Dash spawned many variants and clones like Crazy Dash, Michingo-Dash and ProfiBoulder. Many are public domain and unpublished games, and the existence of the Boulder Dash Construction Kit from First Star Software might explain why.

PP Digger

PP Digger is like Boulderdash, with a twist

Of the many Boulder Dash imitators out there, I enjoy one called PP Digger. If you find Boulder Dash to be a bit boring, you should give this one a try. PP Digger is different from Boulder Dash primarily in that you have moving enemies, like ghosts, who wait for you to set them free in your greedy quest for diamonds. Drop boulders onto them strategically, but be careful where you drop them. The timer is always counting down, though, so you don’t be slow about it!

CORE

This game requires good memory to find and use objects around the map. CORE, by A&F Software, is an action puzzle hybrid game typical of many cassette tape-based titles that were popular in the UK. The general idea behind games like this one is to move between many screens where various items are laying about or hidden while avoiding moving enemies. Often using the items requires a specific sequence or conditions. As the manual states “Core is a problem solver’s game.”

What’s the story then? Eroc I, an asteroid base, has suffered an attack and all of the personnel are dead. You need to figure out what happened by retrieving all of the “biomemory units.”

The aliens are not going to make your task easy, though. When you start you’ll have no way of fighting them off until you find a gun and pick it up, so I suggest that you avoid the baddies at all costs until you have a way to defend yourself.

More specifically: you need to find biomemory segments that are hidden throughout the asteroid, then return them via the “DAMP” teleporters. Stand on the teleporters for three seconds to activate them. You’ll need a good memory and a keen eye to spot the hidden or even buried items throughout the game that are needed to solve the puzzles.

One puzzle, for example, has lasers that you’ll need to stop in order to progress. Think hard on the sort of item you’d need to obtain to stop a laser…

The display panel includes the commands: Help (lit lightbulb), Wait (zzz), Load (down arrow), Save (up arrow), Pick Up, Drop, Use and Fire (if you have the gun).

If you enjoy this sort of game, you might consider picking up a fresh new copy of Sceptre of Baghdad by Psytronik Software. I own a copy of the great little “2008 release”cassette, and a digital download came free with it. You can find that Psytronik title and others here: http://www.psytronik.net/.

Chapter Seven:

Original Hardware and Software

There are a few reasons that I became a Commodore collector that go beyond a nostalgic attachment to the original hardware. While emulation is undeniably convenient, it doesn’t quite impart the full experience of running some software titles on a real C64 or VIC-20. Even when the emulation is near perfect, what do you do when a game title you remember from your youth is not available up at GB64.com? Even if it is available, digital documentation for a program you want to enjoy can be difficult to find or woefully incomplete.

Some of the appeal of real C64 hardware is in the sound. The SID chip that provides the sound in the C64 is an analog synthesizer that is difficult to emulate properly, especially with certain games. A good example is the eerie ambient “music” in the original version of the Temple of Apshai game. It just doesn’t sound the same in VICE. And in SID players there is an audible “pop” stop that disturbs the flow.

There are also plenty of devices that require direct physical interaction to appreciate. An unusual joystick design might make a particular game more enjoyable, for example. You might find the clicks of micro switches in a Competition Pro joystick to be something that cannot be replicated on a mushy gamepad or cheap Atari 2600-style controller.  Getting an old dot-matrix printer to work with a program like Print Shop might be fun for printing a banner for use at a retro gathering. There are more obscure devices out there as well. The Hearsay 1000 was a text to speech device that plugs into the back of a C64. Imagine how your friends would react to a real C64 that “talks!”

Another benefit of using original hardware is, ironically, the lack of some advantages of emulation that I touted earlier. You can’t multitask, you can’t “cheat” with snapshots, and you can’t pause the game artificially. You have a dedicated setup that you and others can gather around for a two player game of Jumpman or up to four people for M.U.L.E.

A working retro computer like a C64 or VIC-20 can be a fun conversation piece and doesn’t need to take up a lot of space in your room. Even multiple systems can remain limited to a single narrow computer cart.

Example of a setup I had years ago where a C64 and VIC-20 shared the same monitor along with sharing a disk drive and datasette peripherals

The fact that a C64 can share the same power supply and peripherals with a VIC-20 makes sharing the space even easier. New devices that replace large disk and tape drives with modern storage like SD cards are also a good way to save of desk real estate.

A video switch box for multiple inputs from other retro systems is a useful addition if you plan to have more than one vintage computer or game console connected. A CRT television can be brought out of retirement or picked up cheaply from a thrift shop and re-purposed as a monitor.

Last but not least, is the tactile and visceral enjoyment one can get from powering on a 30 year-old computer and having it run properly, or fixing one up to working condition.

Variants of the C64 for Collecting

Case Revisions - The bull-nosed brown case is perhaps the best known Commodore 64 variant, but even that model had a few versions including the “rainbow” and “silver” Commodore stickers/emblems in the upper left hand corner of the units.  The silver label units were earlier models, so if you are looking to collect the oldest possible C64 unit, you’d be best to start with the silver label models of which reports are only around 50,000 units were made from the millions of C64’s sold. If you open the case of a C64 “silver label” unit you’ll notice a difference in some of the chips and whether or not they are socketed or soldered in place.

The C64C is the other major case revision obvious at-a-glace. However the C64C, released 5 years after the original C64, was also quite different internally though functionally identical. Due to advances in technology, the C64C motherboard components were dramatically reduced as chips were consolidated. For example, the 64 kilobytes of RAM went from 8 chips on the motherboard to only 2.

Motherboard revisions - From a collector’s perspective, other than Revision A, there are a few reasons you might want to collect a particular revision. If you are looking purely as a collector you might choose a Rev A, but if you are looking to use the unit daily you may want to avoid known issues with the older motherboards.

SID Chip revisions - The sound of the SID chip revisions is distinct to the point that Stone Oakvalley’s Authentic SID collection made a point of recording the same SID tunes against the various revisions (typically 4). If you are particularly sensitive about the sounds emitted by SID chips and can hear the differences between the revisions (I usually cannot), then pursuing a particular revision could matter to you.

Keyboard revisions – While revisions of the keyboard design you are likely to see on the C64 are mostly limited to the C64 and C64C, you may see unusual keyboard styles in C64 units that have been repaired or otherwise modified. There was also a PET-style keyboard which you might find applied to some older “silver” C64’s. This is due to the fact that the C64 had a keyboard connector compatible with other Commodore products like the VIC-20 and PET. Some differences you may notice are lighter or darker colors on the function keys, fonts that appear different on the keys themselves, and main keyboard colors. Sometimes this is desirable as part of a modified case, other times it is simply a byproduct of someone’s tinkering or repair efforts that you may or may not find aesthetically pleasing.

Software Collecting

Owning original boxed software is an aspect of a C64 collection that I find most satisfying. Digging up documentation for titles that are unusual or have a slim fan followings can be rewarding in itself, especially if that documentation is crucial to using the program. Even if you can find digital copies online or text files of the documentation for a game, you may not get the full flavor of the program when so much was put into the packaging of some. Role-playing and strategy games often came with thick manuals filled with artwork. Infocom’s text adventures came in boxes with an array of objects that added realism such as fake brochures or passports that would provide hints at gameplay. Without these, loading up and playing The Lurking Horror feels incomplete. Thankfully there are websites dedicated to Infocom games. But while you might find the raw text online for a game like The Magic Candle, reading in that format pales in comparison to having a thick book with artwork and lore at your fingertips.

A few of the Commodore 64 CRPG and strategy titles in my collection

Even cassette-based titles from Europe that were not boxed but just had a plastic cassette case and printed sleeve could contain useful backstory information on the inlay on the reverse of the cover or even folded printed instructions for more complex titles. Every once and a while there is a program that is truly interactive which requires the manual such as KTEK’s Computer Coach that contained an audio cassette along with the disk and manual, or Lost in Space by Hayden Software which has the reader execute specific tasks while following a story. One of my favorite examples of hybrid manual-computer gaming is in the Temple of Apshai dungeon-crawler by Epyx which has room descriptions printed in each location you refer to by numbers presented in the interface in the game. Having the disk or tape images up online is great, but without these supplemental materials the programs are not going to be nearly as enjoyable at best, and completely unplayable or unusable at worst.

If you do get your hands on a rare copy of a game or utility with a thick manual, I urge you to scan it in and share it with the community. There are still hundreds if not thousands of games and utilities with documentation and artwork lost to the years. Now that high-speed Internet is common, sharing full .PDF color scans is the way it should be. Drab text documents had their place once when internet speeds were much slower and disk space was at a premium, but original scans are superior even for simple titles to supply things like the names of programmers and musicians, for example. Or just for the neat box art. Some day the old computers and original media will cease to work reliably for most users, and having those virtual digital documents to flip through on a tablet or other modern device while enjoying a program in emulation will be invaluable.

Until that day, opening up the box to Ultima IV, laying out the cloth map, reading the manual with great artwork on nicely textured page stock, sitting in front of a real C64 with the click-clack of your disk drive, and finally being met after a long wait with the welcome and authentic music from your monitor’s speakers … Well, these are things that emulation and digital documents cannot quite replicate for me at least.

Rear box cover for CAPTAIN FIZZ Meets the Blaster-Trons. Sometimes a little flavor text even on the box itself injects some much-needed motivation to enjoy a game versus just downloading and running a random game file from a repository. This title came with a “Regimental Handbook for the Queen’s Cloned Highlanders” inside as well - a fancy way to include instructions.

Speaking of rare disks, I've stumbled onto a few over the years that were not already listed up at GB64.com or other sites.

In an auction not too long ago I won an open boxed copy of Adventure Writer. Inside I found three additional disks. Codewriter Corp. also marketed and sold games submitted by users of their game creation tool, and I was lucky enough to have scored a package from someone who bought a few of them. The seller apparently did not see these as being separate from the original package itself, likely due to the shared label design, or did not care and threw them in as a bonus. The important point of this story is that two out of the three adventures had never been cataloged up at GB64.com. (Since then I found another Codewriters adventure as well that was also not listed as being available to download anywhere.)

To ensure these interactive fiction titles were preserved and available to others before the media itself degraded beyond use, I decided to get them into .D64 format. Of course, having equipment to reliably transfer them over was a must, so I asked a member of PDXCUG if he could convert them, and since he shared my passion for preserving such things, he did (using Zoom floppy, which I later ordered from RETRO Innovations here: http://store.go4retro.com/zoomfloppy/ ).

I then contacted the helpful guys at GamesThatWeren't64 who in turn notified people at GB64 to see that the games The Day Before and Sherlock Holmes Returns were properly archived and uploaded to the site for others to enjoy.

Since 1985 those games had been lost to time. What forgotten titles might you find out there?

Online Mega Repositories vs. Personalized Collections

You may think to yourself, why should I go out and collect images of software when its all been done for me already? Well, first off that’s not been the case in my experience. I’ve found a number of titles not archived in any publicly available collection, and those that are available online can sometimes be buggy or corrupt. As solid of a community as the Commodore 64 has for archiving, I have found multiple text adventures, art programs, computer tutorial tools, and utilities over the years that were not available as digital archives online that I owned physical copies of.

The downside to any online repository for disk, cartridge, and tape images is that it depends on the enthusiasm and key interests of other individuals to keep it going. You end up relying on the passion of someone else to supply you with what you want. The focus may be quite different than your own. One site may be geared toward sheer volume of collected disk images to make as “complete” a collection as possible (GB64), while another may have only a half dozen utility programs in a list that hasn’t been updated or added to since 2009.

A handful of very good repositories that are paid for and run by individuals are not going to be around forever - especially if they are owned by a single person. The community will benefit greatly by having new sites arrive and older sites opened up to a new generation of maintainers enthusiastic about all things “retro.”

I have found that having my own personal backup collection of disk and tape images to be preferable to depending on niche sites and well-known repositories, though I am grateful to those sites that make my collection possible. The much-loved “Latif” download server site that I counted on for years at the GameBase64 site has been down now for some weeks in early 2017, and I can only hope that it will return. Similar issues with other sites have hit me in the past, but I’ve usually been able to find what I need in my own collections on disk or optical media. The CSDb is also a great place to find multiple versions of utilities and “fixed” copies of games that might troublesome in their most popular distribution. I recently found a better working copy of Shard of Spring at the CSDb, while the one at GB64 would not even properly start a game without crashing. Games that were never cracked or provided an intro file may not appear in the CSDb, however. The CSDb is also a place where cracking groups like Atlantis have shared improved and fixed versions of games, going well beyond cracking by resolving problems with the code of the original games themselves or adding useful features besides the standard highscore / trainer options.

As is the case with a handful of sites that collect and share C64 utilities, even very large game file archives may still cater to the needs and preferences of those who decided to compile them in the first place. CSDb is all about the cracktros and demos, and GB64 has been focused on making as complete a collection of games as possible. If you want documentation there are other sites for that The site owners may be more interested in who composed the SID music for a game or who cracked the title than how a game is actually played, the game portion of the files themselves being almost an afterthought to the intro.

Themed and personal collections can narrow the focus of what is shared and result in a richer experience for other C64 users. If your aim is to archive all the versions of files, box scans, and documentation for Transformers games made for the C64, for example, you could make your own personal collection, hopefully one you’d share with the rest of us C64 enthusiasts! I’ve been looking for a good and complete collection of C64 art programs for years but have yet to find anything comprehensive yet. As is the case with word processors, I’ve learned to hunt down what titles already have digital files available out there, and then purchase the documentation at auction to accompany the title so I know I’ll be able to use it even if the disk included in the box is corrupt.

The lesson here is not to rely on just one database to fulfill your needs, especially one that could go down at any time. Sometimes spending time and hunting for the files you want and archiving them well in a personal collection can result in a much more complete and accurate collection than whatever has been collected in an all-in-one mega database of 20 thousand disk images and no documentation supplied by someone else. The files supplied are not always the “best” so make sure to stock up on a couple of versions of your favorite files while you can! Better yet, if you can find original disks and documentation to archive that are not yet available out there or that become unavailable over time and the disappearance of privately maintained collections, you can have something truly unique to offer back to the community.

Collecting Utilities:

C64 Utilities, especially lesser known applications, can be harder to find in archived digital form than game software. Whether due to a lack of enthusiasm for such tools, or the belief that applications like Print Shop became ever more outdated and obsolete with each passing year or new version, the efforts to preserve and share such utilities have not been as robust or comprehensive. That could change, but from what I've seen so far, the few sites that offer Commodore utility collections are often fractured fledgling efforts that focus on one type of application. You might find a site that focuses on only GEOS-related utilities, for example.

The CSDb (the C64 Scene Database) at http://csdb.dk/ is a decent source for utilities if you're looking for some general program to fit the bill. The site is not really geared toward providing access to such titles however and the good luck in your results will be more of a by-product of the site’s focus on software that was “cracked” at some point by a cracking group. In particular, the interest is generally around archiving cracktros and demos, not the retail C64 programs themselves. If no cracked version of Micro Illustrator exists, for example, then the CSDb may not have it. That said, I have found titles such as Graphics Basic by searching their archive with no obvious cracker listed or cracktro in the file.

Another decent source for utilities can be found at Haddewig.de, but it has not been updated in more than 10 years, and most if not all of the utilities there should also be up at the CSDb.

Utilities for the C64 can be relatively easy to obtain, and often in sealed condition. I highly recommend that you pick one up if you have the chance since the manuals which often contain complex keystroke combinations are often not documented/archived anywhere. I found a new copy of Word Writer 5 by Timeworks at auction for a steal, for example. It included a thick manual and keyboard overlays. Perhaps I'll write my next book on it someday. OK, maybe a short story … Regardless, it was fun to see a word processor work with the old printer I also picked up at auction. The dot matrix MPS-803 hummed and whizzed along as if the decades since it left the factory had never passed. Trying to get Word Writer to work with the same ease I type into a modern word processor was a challenge but also enjoyable.

Preserving media

As I mentioned previously, the software “crackers” who started out by inserting demos, trainers, and music into commercial software as a way to declare their success with breaking the software copy protection have proven to be an important source of the game files freely available around the web today. This is no doubt due to the heavy distribution of pirated games way back in the 80s and early 90s by gamers who swapped disks with their buddies, building up huge collections that would one day find their way to .D64 and .T64 format. If you own original disks and tapes, you have something clean of cracktros and trainers, and if you own something rare, you might even find someone interested in preserving your disks and tapes in their unadulterated form. It was not unheard of for commercial titles to have more than one version of software available for a given program, and the ones preserved already may be different from what you come across.

Cartridge-based C64 software will generally keep well, but maintaining old software on magnetic floppy disks and tapes is a bit trickier. Because of the thin media of 5 ¼-inch floppy disks, they are prone to damage and susceptible to data loss even with the most careful handling after having been stored in bookcases and attics for decades. Tapes of course are delicate and can be “eaten” by a tape player as any child of the last century knows, and these are also a sensitive magnetic media. You may fret that your collection becomes less and less viable as something usable in its original form as the years go by.

That’s where an effort like the C64 Preservation Project (http://c64preservation.com/) comes in. The owner of the site has a goal of archiving perfect copies of original C64 software. There is also a C64 Tape Preservation Site, for programs on tape.

If you see what you think to be a rare set of old C64 floppy disks at someone’s yard sale selling for peanuts, or in an online auction, why not help keep original, unmodified Commodore 64 software alive, and send your disks to the Preservation Project for archival?

There are other ways to get your disks and tapes archived, of course. If you have the right hardware you can do it yourself. ZoomFloppy by Retro Innovations (http://store.go4retro.com/zoomfloppy/) is but one solution for archiving old floppy disks to a modern PC, and the solutions keep getting more convenient and feature-rich with each passing year. If you get involved in the C64 community, there may be other C64 enthusiasts who will offer to transfer your old disks to usable D64 disk images.

Once in .D64 format, the disk images can be shared with the wider community of C64 enthusiasts without physically passing around an old, fragile floppy. If a game you converted is not currently available at GB64.com or the CSDb, you might have a rare find! You should contact the folks at such sites as GB64.com and Games That Weren’t 64, and let them know about your discovery. If it is really a new find, they’ll document it and share it with the C64 community. Keeping rare and lost games in your closet until the original media deteriorates is a loss for everyone. Share what you have!

Collecting for profit and completion

Collecting Commodore-related items solely to make money is not for me. I do not keep old games sealed to maintain collectible value unless I have more than one of the item already. I collect to enjoy, share, and preserve. I do not look for rare games to buy low and sell high, though I might occasionally pick up a bargain. This is not to say that I look down on merchants who engage in for-profit C64 collecting. Many of the things in my collection are from sellers who went through the trouble of digging up old Commodore stuff to sell to people like me instead of allowing it to be thrown away.

Another type of collecting that I don’t find particularly useful for my own needs but that might interest you is the pursuit of rare items simply because they are rare and hard to find. This sort of collecting is not necessarily concerned with sharing documentation, tape dumps or disk images. A person who collects every boxed variant of a particular set of games (notched boxes, boxes of different colors, cases used in different countries/markets) would fall into this category. Such collectors can help the C64 and broader retro computing community if they decide to share their collections in the form of documentation or box cover scans, lists that measure rarity, or simply by confirming the existence of different versions of commercial programs that may otherwise be forgotten.

Different types of collectors often compete for the same items, driving up prices. Depending on how deep your pockets are you may have to draw a line. Take a game like Shard of Spring by SSI. If I only wanted to scan in the original documentation to share with the C64 community or get an original disk since the one I found archived in the community had game-breaking errors, I might have to pay over $100 to win the game at auction. In such cases it could make more sense to send a call out to other collectors to see if they can provide such scans for free. I’ve asked the owner of the excellent Museum of Computer Adventure Game History (http://mocagh.org/) to scan in some rare titles, and he kindly obliged. In fact, as of 2016 it appears that the entire vast collection of documentation and box scans was made freely available online!

Make Local and Hard Copies

As I mentioned above, too many times over the years I have seen excellent repositories for documentation or program files go down, never to return. This is not limited to Commodore-related websites, but the threat remains. There is no guarantee that sites like Gamebase 64 or MOCAGH.org will be online 20 years from now. Ensuring that the file archives from such sites are stored permanently is something that should be left to the wider fan community, not the financial ups and downs of a single individual or small group of fans.

While I doubt the owners of the aforementioned sites would appreciate everyone who reads this book going out to perform a site rip of all files, why not keep your own specialized collection of what interests you?  Perhaps you only download the game files and documentation for the Last Ninja series of games and keep them somewhere on your local system, backed up on the cloud? Better yet burn a CD-R, DVD-R or use a USB or other flash drive to keep your own local copy of these or more difficult to find programs and related documentation. This way, if something apocalyptic happens (a dreaded EMP blast from a North Korean satellite … or more likely just someone not paying for their site hosting) to your favorite file repository, you'll have a backup you can then share to the community if those files become difficult to find once again.

Collecting for the VIC-20

When you start collecting Commodore equipment, there’s no need to focus only on the C64. There are other great Commodore computers that share the same basic peripherals, so if you see one for a good price on an auction site, you might consider picking up a VIC-20 or a Commodore 128, for example. The Commodore 16 and Plus/4 use some different peripheral connectors and are generally not compatible with the C64, so keep that in mind if you plan to buy either of those. Personally, I have a soft spot for the VIC-20, my first Commodore computer. Collecting parts for one and getting it up and running is not significantly different than getting a C64 working, and in my current retro computer desk setup I share nearly everything between them except cartridges.

The VIC-20 is a great “starter” computer for a retro computer enthusiast. It’s a fun and well-constructed machine to set up on a bit of desk space with a $10 CRT television from your local thrift store. The best part about the VIC-20 is that if you’re lucky you can get everything you need to get up and running for less than $25. If you already have a Commodore 64, then you have most of what you need already, and if you plan to get a C64 later, as I mentioned above, you’ll be able to share some of what you’ll get for your VIC-20.

One reason for the easy entry price is that cartridge and tape format programs were more popular for the VIC-20 than floppy disks ever were, so you don’t need a floppy disk drive to enjoy the majority of VIC-20 programs. In fact, you can even bypass tapes for a while and just use cartridges if you simply want to play around and have some fun on a VIC-20. Cartridges are cheap and easy to come by, and one or two are often included as part of the deal when you buy a VIC-20 at auction..

There are other reasons that the VIC-20 is less expensive to obtain than the Commodore 64. The most obvious reason is that the unexpanded VIC-20 had far less memory. As a result the programs are more primitive-looking and limited. Another reason is that the ranks of C64 enthusiasts are filled with musicians who are fans of the SID music chip. The VIC-20 did not share that chip, and the “music” it produced was simple at best. Lastly, the VIC-20 was not as popular or long-lived as the C64 in the marketplace (though it was sold for 5 years), and as a result the software library was much smaller.

If these all seem like reasons not to own a VIC-20 then let me try to convince you otherwise. The VIC-20 may share the same “breadbox” case design that was passed down to the C64, but the look and feel of the programs was much different. I’d call them quirky and fun. There is still a community of active VIC-20 fans because of its lasting appeal. You can find them at such sites as the VIC-20 Denial forums. The guys there still make new and interesting programs for the VIC-20 to this day.

So, what else? Well, the VIC-20 is one of the few home computers where you can enjoy text adventures in a cartridge format. If you have young children around there are many programs that force the user to type, and I find that my daughter enjoys the key pecking. The number of characters on the screen were limited to 22 across, making the text seem huge and wide, but this is actually a good thing for visibility. Lastly, the VIC-20 makes learning and typing BASIC programs really…well, basic! Seeing your commands in big letters on the screen and executing programs in very little memory keeps things simple and easy to wrap your head around. The BASIC on the VIC-20 might be decades old, but working with it still teaches valuable concepts behind computer programming.

I suggest that you comb eBay for a while and try to find the best combination of price with the words “tested and working.” If you buy a VIC-20 out of someone’s humid, dusty garage with no guarantees or words like “as-is,” then it may be no better than an internally rusted doorstop. I won the following VIC-20 not too long ago for the mere sum of $16 “tested and working”:

It came with everything required to get it working. It also came with a 16K expansion cartridge and games that can sell for more individually than what I paid for the computer alone. There was a box of additional VIC-20 chips from some enthusiast who swapped them out to improve the video signal, and a folder full of manuals and an old VIC-20 magazine. All in all it was a good haul!

So how do you set up a VIC-20? Other than the video cable, all you need is power. Once you turn on a VIC-20, like a Commodore 64, you can get to typing BASIC programs right away.

You’ll need a joystick if you intend to play any action games (though many games such as “Alien” allowed the somewhat awkward use of keyboard cursors). A standard Atari 2600 style joystick will work fine and you can find those – even new ones – all over eBay for reasonable prices. If you like text adventures like Voodoo Castle or don’t want to play games at all, you won’t need a joystick. Old-style joysticks like that were known to break even when they were new, so treat them gently. Your whole body doesn’t need to lean in with muscles straining against the stick for it to work. If it takes that kind of effort, then get a new joystick.

One thing that I highly recommend unless you already have a Commodore 64 setup is a composite RCA video cable (yellow-red-white) that connects to the Commodore video port (see the VIC-20 image with rear ports below). The video signal will be much better than the old RF modulator that usually comes with a VIC-20. The cables are cheap on e-bay. Just search for “RCA cable Commodore 64.” You can use other methods, but I have several retro computers set up on an AV RCA video switch.

One caveat is that you want to make sure that the TV or monitor you are hooking up to actually has RCA AV video ports. If it does not, then go ahead and try the RF modulator and the old-style “TV / Game” switch. But don’t expect stellar results. If you already have a 1701 or 1702 Commodore monitor for use with your C64 then you need not worry about the video concerns I’ve mentioned.

A tape drive is not required, but can enhance the experience. It is a simple matter to hook a tape drive up. Just slide the connector into the second rear slot from the right. Make sure you rewind your program tape (if you have one) all the way, then type “LOAD” and hit return. Press play on tape when prompted. Similarly, you can save your programs using a tape drive. Much of the operation of a VIC-20 is similar to a Commodore 64.

If all you are playing around with are cartridges, then you won’t need a memory expansion cartridge. Tape games might mention “8K expansion required.” The 8K expansion was a cartridge you used in the same slot as you would a game or word processing cart. There were other expansion carts such as the 16K RAM Cartridge. Many tape games were for the “unexpanded” VIC-20, however. If you want to play the new RPG game Realms of Quest III(I highly recommend it) and have a Commodore disk drive, you can make use of a memory expansion cartridge with that floppy disk-based game as well.

If your VIC-20 came with no game cartridges and you like games, I suggest Omega Race, Cosmic Cruncher and one of the Text Adventures such as Adventureland or Pirate’s Cove. If your text adventure cart doesn’t seem to work at first, just remember that you need to type SYS 32592 and hit ENTER for it to launch!

The modem port could be used with a modern solution like the Comet64 (the developer has assured me that it is also compatible with the VIC-20), perhaps to develop your own Twitter posting solution like Breadbox64 if you’re interested in a challenge and developing your own unique applications for the VIC-20.

Of all of the issues you are likely to run across, getting the video to display crisply and cleanly is the one I would anticipate the most. This has little to do with the VIC-20, and more with the fact that televisions have changed so much since 1980. Even back then you would not get a perfect video signal out of an RF modulator. This is why I recommend the aftermarket, newly made video cables that some eBay vendors sell. Another possible issue could be bad tape media, a glitchy cartridge, or other hardware issues. I’ve had good luck with the computers bought off of eBay, however, and amazingly I’ve never run in to a bad cassette tape!

This may seem obvious, but try not to hit, bump around or otherwise abuse your vintage computer equipment. I’ve seen YouTube type videos where someone buys an old machine or peripheral and literally tosses it on the floor like he would a modern console controller. When you’re dealing with parts that are 20 or 30 years old, even if they are solid state, you are only asking for trouble by playing Mr. Casual.

The VIC-20 has a cartridge port that can require some serious wrestling when you are trying to insert and remove cartridges. If you hear the case squeaking with your efforts, dial it back and try to be more precise about how you are slotting the cartridge. As a kid in the 80s I shoved in and yanked out those cartridges without a care, but with antique equipment I try to be more careful.

It is also a good practice to clean the contacts on the cartridge port and cartridge contacts with rubbing alcohol (91% - not 71% - the 71% has inactive ingredients for skin contact that could be an unnecessary contaminant).  The contacts can oxidize or might just be dirty from storage over the years. Despite these efforts you may find that re-seating the cartridge will work best. Sometimes pins fail to connect and you might get funny results. The computer might not even recognize the cartridge has been inserted.

Another care tip: Don’t leave your Commodore power supply plugged in permanently. Put it on a surge protector / switch and turn off the switch when you’re not using the computer (or use a “smart switch”). Commodore external power supplies were notorious for overheating issues and went bad over time. Just recently I had to disconnect a VIC-20 power supply that buzzed loudly simply by being plugged in. Not a good sign. As a rule, if it’s warm and you’re not using it, turn it off at the source. It goes without saying that you should not leave your VIC-20 on for many hours either. Neither the power supply nor the computer had active cooling fans. Just turn it all off when you walk away. I do this by connecting all of my Commodore power cables to a power strip with an easily accessible switch.

And there you go! You’re ready to enjoy your own VIC-20!

Collecting for the C64

Collecting useful components for the Commodore 64 is not so different from collecting for the VIC-20. The greater popularity and market penetration of the C64 over its older sibling can lead to surprising differences that are worth noting.

For instance, you may find that there are more complete VIC-20 systems in a better state of repair up on auction sites. This might seem odd if you compare the market life and total sales of the two computers, but the C64 had a different sort of fan base. There has long been a group of music hobbyists, for example, who are mostly interested in the Commodore 64's SID music chip. The analog SID chip is notoriously difficult to emulate effectively, and SID enthusiasts will claim a sound distinction in the actual synthesizer chip that one might compare to the difference between a vinyl record and CD sound. There are even different revisions of SID chips with their own unique sounds. Some of the chips are used in music projects that do not even include C64 hardware. HardSID is an example of this: http://www.hardsid.com/ . An insistence on the “real thing” when playing back SID chip sound means you may find the chips missing from “AS-IS” units you find at auction. These have been removed by prior owners, or sometimes even to resell.

The desirability of SID chips is only one of the factors that can lead to a sad cannibalization of otherwise working C64 computers. As Commodore computers age, there are people who need to scrounge parts from functional and semi-functional systems just to keep their own units running. Unscrupulous C64 hobbyists might put a cannibalized C64 up on auction without mentioning the missing parts that were taken from it.

I've found two extremes of sellers that are great to deal with. First are the Commodore specialists. They sell mostly Commodore 64 computers, components, utilities and some games, and seem genuinely interested in providing quality parts that help keep the old systems up and running. They may also offer new or new old stock parts like video cables capable of connecting to modern televisions or SD card storage solutions. Usually they have the required equipment to test systems and floppy drives they are selling. Some will back up their testing with a return policy.

Second are the sellers who have no idea what they are selling. These can be easy to spot. When someone sells a “Commodore 64 Keyboard” and the description says something along the lines of “cannot test because I only have the keyboard,” well, chances are the seller wouldn't know a working C64 from an Apple if not for the logo. Another way to spot this sort of seller is to look at what else they are selling at auction. If they are listing 40 other items that look like knick knacks from a garage sale, chances are they are not knowledgeable about Commodore computers. You roll the dice when you buy a system from sellers like these because there’s no way to know what condition it might be in, but I've had more good luck than bad with them.

Sellers I avoid include those who:

1. Take floppy disks out of their sleeves and display them directly on carpet. Static is not so great for magnetic media, especially old magnetic media!

2. Write “I have no way to test this,” but clearly sell many other types of retro computers or console hardware.

3. Write “Booted up and runs - no further testing done.” I've run into a Commodore unit or two with flaky video or damaged memory that will still "boot," technically speaking, but are otherwise unusable except as parts donors or for repair.

4. Sell “donor” computers “as-is” since they have likely been stripped of some common components (or have bad parts swapped into them). Unless you are very good with electronics or intend to re-purpose the case to use as a Keyrah unit, for example, or if you have a part you are looking for that you think would be an uncommon one to strip, I suggest staying away from these.

Despite these warnings, the majority of my collecting experience has been a good one over the past several years. Perhaps this will change as Commodore equipment becomes rare, but for now I would say not to be too paranoid about what you buy at auction. Avoid sellers with few or poor ratings. Bid low and bid often, and eventually you will get something cheap that will be a good buy. Don’t be in too much of a rush to purchase something unless it looks solid. If you are worried about long-term reliability, purchase more than one Commodore computer and keep the second boxed up, waiting in the wings as a replacement or donor system.

I usually avoid buying single loose floppy disks. This is a personal choice. Most commercial C64 disks have already been digitally archived around the web, so unless I already have a boxed set with a missing disk, I don't waste my time buying individual Commodore 64 disks that cost less than the shipping. If you dislike emulation and want to play real C64 disks in a physical disk drive, however, buying floppies can be an inexpensive way to enjoy games.

If you decide to buy physical floppies I suggest games or utilities with little or no documentation required, or those with manuals available online. The best way to buy disks for casual fun is to get a large lot of disks. Such lots can often be found for a good price from sellers who don't want to hassle with individual disk auctions. You might even find a rare disk in the mix! The only potential downside would be if all of the disks in a lot were kept together in a bad environment. You may find signs of poor storage conditions in labels that are falling off, stained floppy sleeves, or other obvious cosmetic damage. While even a new sealed-in-box game is not safe from 30 years of storage, it’s worth it to try and make sure you aren’t paying for a pile of junk.

Collecting other 8-bit Commodore Computers

The rarer Commodore systems such as the C128, C16, and Plus/4 are harder to come by in working condition. If your goal is to obtain a system that is easily enjoyed out of the box, you may wish to avoid these, though I would not want to discourage any collectors if their passion is also for these computers.

The C16 and Plus/4

The C16, C116 (for Europe), and Plus/4 were all part of the Commodore-264 series of computers. They had different capabilities and features, but could all use the same software. They were not compatible with the C64 or VIC-20, though the C16 shares the same bull-nosed case and at first glance it (along with the Datasette) looks like a C64 in different darker clothing.

There are a few problems with the C16 and Plus/4 when it comes to collecting, notably the fact that they used different peripherals than what you might already have in your collection. So while you can share a datasette between your VIC-20 and C64, the C16 and Plus/4 had the 1531 Datasette device with a different connector. The datasette was actually mostly the same aside from a charcoal color scheme they shared with the newer computers and the small round Mini-DIN connector. If you wish to save real-estate on your retro computing desk, it's worth noting that you can get an adapter (and could even back in the day) that allows the C64/VIC-20/C128 to use the 1531. Perhaps more frustrating is that Commodore changed from the standard and very popular Atari-style joysticks to their own connectors, again of a Mini-DIN style. This leaves the collecting community and auction sites with a much smaller and less diverse pool of joysticks to work with, and the Commodore 1341 Joystick being the iconic choice if you are looking for a unified look to your collection.

One more consideration that would seem to favor collecting the Plus/4 over the C16 is the memory limitation of the C16. Games that required 64K would not run on the C16 (or C116), and unlike the VIC-20, simply adding a memory expansion cartridge is not an option for games that required more memory. There is a way to modify your C16 to 64K if you are good with electronics, but this is not an “out of the box” experience. So if you are looking to enjoy the full spectrum of Commodore-264 series of software, the Plus/4 is your best bet.

The other more troubling issue with collecting the C16 and Plus/4 computers, however, is the so-called TED chip. The chip was a cost-cutting advancement that combined graphics and sound into a single chip. This and the fact that it also handled I/O, however, caused serious overheating issues that would render the chip eventually worthless unless a heat sink was attached. Opening up a computer and putting a heat sink in place was not something one can imagine the typical user of the C16 or Plus/4 would have had the inclination or foresight to engage in. Because of this, the pool of available and working C16 and Plus/4 computers is smaller than it might have been otherwise.

The physical software for these systems is also not as easy to come by, though I have picked up a couple of tape-based programs myself over the years. The productivity programs and text adventure games are not different enough from their C64 counterparts to recommend.

On the plus side for the C16 and Plus/4 computers is that they offer a unique computing experience. The action games look decidedly different from those on the C64 and VIC-20 due to the lack of hardware sprites in the TED chip. Some creative ways around this limitation and the other distinctive features of the TED chip lead to some interesting gaming though certainly not superior gaming when compared to the older C64, at least from what I’ve seen.

Your best bet to decide if you want to pursue C16 or Plus/4 collecting is to try out emulation first. I have found emulation for the Plus/4 to be entertaining and I can certainly understand the enthusiasm of the community behind these computers. I can only imagine if my father had brought home a Plus/4 instead of a VIC-20 and later a C64 how I would view the Plus/4 and C16 today. There is an active community at Commodore Plus/4 World http://www.plus4world.com/ and they are even developing and sharing new games today.

If you want an idea of what some of the better action games were that ran on 16K, check out Magician's Curse by Gremlin Graphics.

The Commodore 128

There is much to recommend collecting for the C128. Between the modes (C128 native mode, CP/M mode, and C64 mode) available you are left with a great platform for retro computing-in-one. While the software library specifically for the C128 is rather sparse, the productivity titles have the potential to be greatly enhanced over those on the C64. It’s quite possible that the C128 might have seen more success as a direct upgrade from the C64 with no compatibility mode (as the C64 was an upgrade over the VIC-20 that came before it), but this is speculation on my part. There are even a few iconic games like Ultima V best experienced on the C128 (for the unique musical score not available on the C64), perhaps over any other 8-bit platform of the day. If you are interested in the desktop environment of GEOS, you have a much better platform for enjoying it on the C128.

A downside to C128 cost is rarity and price. I have long coveted a working C128 myself, but have not found an affordable one in good condition since I began collecting many years ago. Another possible downside, depending on the size of your non-C128 computer collection is desktop real estate. The C128 is not a small computer and you should account for that if you plan to share table space with another home computer.

There were different versions of the C128 worth noting. The C128 looked like a much larger C64c, with the computer-in-keyboard concept retained. The C128D, however, had a profile much more like the Commodore Amiga computers, with a separate keyboard and a built-in disk drive. When purchased with a matching monitor, the C128D resembled the newer wave of 16-bit computers or more expensive Personal Computers.  As with other Commodore computers there were additional differences with the available models in Europe.

If you plan to find a C128D, you may also consider that the internal disk drive may not be functioning properly, so if you plan to bid at auction, ask the seller if the drive in the system itself has been tested and is working.

Collecting software for archival and print documentation

Finding and downloading C64 programs may be easy, but locating manual scans, box art and other instructions is not always as simple.

There are a few sites, like ReplacementDocs.com that have scans of original game manuals, but the library is not complete and the .PDF (Adobe Reader) format scans do not always include all of the papers and documentation that came with games. While you might find Tangled Tales, for example, there is no guarantee that you will find the command card for the C64 along with it. The scans there could be for the IBM PC version of the game instead.

As I mentioned earlier, many C64 games required a wide array of keyboard commands or had a good deal of extra or even essential flavor in the form of backstories, pictures, and tutorials. Some games like Ogre, included feelies like a “radiation detector” lapel badge in the box.  Without those components, a person who only downloaded a C64 game file would be left either confused and incapable of enjoying the title, or without some essential component of the backstory. Sometimes this material was purely optional for enjoying the title, sometimes it was included copy protection purposes, by embedding answers to questions to unlock gameplay within an accompanying comic book, for example. This sort of thing discouraged sharing of the game through copying and piracy just as much as it enhanced the gameplay experience. Since C64 publishers had a real problem with piracy eating into their profits, its no wonder they found creative ways to make piracy more difficult.

Sometimes the manuals were an interesting mix of backstory and tutorial. One such program where the manuals mattered is a CRPG from the early days of the C64, called Kaiv, part of the Warrior of Ras series of four games by Randall Don Masteller. It mixed actual in-game commands into a tale told by someone returning from a dungeon crawl. Because I think it’s important to the overall gameplay experience to keep the full manual scans rather than dramatically cut down, bare-bones text files (such as many at Project64.c64.org), If you can find and download the Kaiv scan from a site like MOCAGH.org I think you’ll see what I mean when you compare the full manual to a short list of text commands. The copy I was able to obtain was not in the best condition, but I think the creases add a bit of age and character appropriate for the old game.

If you collect old Commodore 64 games yourself or plan to, I encourage you to scan and share the manuals with others. Strictly speaking, there might be copyright warnings on these books, but if they are close to 30 years old it is unlikely that anyone cares if you copy them, especially if they are from forgotten, obscure software houses that faded away in the 80s. It’s not unusual to see interviews with the old programmers who generally seem to be tickled that people are still enjoying something they coded decades ago.

One active site where a wide array of Commodore-related scans are actively being added in .PDF format is DLH’s Commodore Archive: http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/

Donating Commodore parts

It almost goes without saying that you should not toss out old Commodore computer parts even if they are non-functioning due to the fact that they become rarer and harder to track down with each year that passes. There will always be a buyer for all but the most corroded and rusted out of parts. One person’s “broken” 1541 drive is another’s repairable drive or source of donor components. Even once common parts will generally go for good prices on eBay or other auction sites.

What about donations? I frequently donate household things that I think other people might be able to use or appreciate and could end up helping a charitable cause. I’ve come close to donating old computer parts like an extra Commodore tape drive in the past. I’m glad that I did not, however, because those parts may have ended up in a dumpster.

I once took a trip down to a location where donated computers end up in Houston and found that, at least at that time, they simply threw away fully functional vintage computers. I let the people there know that computers like the functional Tandy laptop they were about to throw out sell for good prices online and would sell well if they would stock them, but they did not seem interested or lacked knowledge of vintage computers. They “had to take the hard drive out” of the Tandy laptop before letting me save it from being scrapped -- a very old laptop that I explained never had a hard drive to begin with!

These old parts may well be taken for general computer parts recycling to extract dangerous metals, and that’s fine and good, but such treatment is better suited for the generic PC from 1999 or 2004, or a hopelessly non-functional computer, not a rare Commodore 8-bit computer. It is also noteworthy that a PC from 1999 has a hard drive and other components with moving parts that from what I’ve experienced are potentially more likely to break down than a solid state Commodore, and requires software to be loaded to be useful after powering up (that tends to be wiped), while a Commodore 16, Plus/4, VIC-20, 64 and 128 all function fine and are ready to run with a flip of the power switch.

On the bright side, there are thrift and other shops that will stock and resell old computer items or that send their vintage computers up for auction at places like ShopGoodwill.com.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t donate that old Commodore equipment to help those in need with the proceeds, just be aware and ask the people who run the donation centers whether they will simply toss the rare parts into the recycle bin out back after you leave, or put it up for resale. On auction sites there are Commodore enthusiasts who will pay for broken Commodore equipment to use as repair parts, and it might be better to give back to them and use the proceeds of your sale to donate something else to your local charity instead.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are active Commodore Users Groups that might be interested in your old equipment. For the sake of your fellow hobbyists you could donate your old Commodore equipment, software, or other items to such a group. Often these groups will accept donations and distribute items to members or at least know of someone in the scene who could use them. You might even find someone willing to trade who has something you need in exchange for your “old junk.”

Sharing with Friends and User Groups

Not too long ago a friend of mine passed a couple of disk drives, a C64c, and several games to me that had been sitting in his garage gathering dust. Few of the disks still worked. His garage is an oven in the summertime, like mine. I was able to realign one of his two 1541 drives to the point where it could be used. He also had some great documentation for a couple of Origin games and a floppy for a rare old dungeon crawl called the Dungeons of Magdarr. I didn’t even know that he had a Commodore 64 collection stashed away until I mentioned my own hobby to him. Or perhaps it was a Commodore t-shirt I had on. Whatever the source of the conversation was, it pays to advertise your hobby!

If you enjoy meeting others who share your hobby, why not try to locate a Commodore Users Group near you? If you are lucky, there might be one in your town. You don’t necessarily need to physically be located in or near a particular city’s User Group to enjoy interacting with its members, either.

One of the most active groups I’ve met online with in the U.S. is the Portland Commodore Users Group, located in Portland, Oregon. Its membership extends to those who cannot physically attend. Though attending meetings is best for a hands-on experience, honorary members can join-in to a live chat that takes place during the meetings. “Chat operators” will keep you informed of what is happening and answer questions about hardware, software or the topic at-hand.  Honorary members can contribute to the meetings and groups by sharing information, stories or news about the scene and groups they interact with. Varying levels of experience provides a strong dynamic for both experts and newbies alike.

You can find out more about PDXCUG here: http://pdxcug.org/.

There are also a few nationwide expos that take place every year, such as CommVEx in Las Vegas ( http://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=commvex:start ), where you can meet members of different Commodore Users Groups.

Retro gaming gatherings in the UK such as the “Retro Computer Museum Weekender” and “Retrovision” among others in Europe also seem particularly lively places to go and meet fellow retro computing enthusiasts (and drink beer!) if you have the chance to attend.

Whatever venue you choose, users groups, gatherings, and expos are an affordable way to interact with others who share your love for Commodore computers, whether you’re just starting out or if you’ve been at it for a while.

Hardware Troubleshooting

Chances are that if you own a physical C64 setup you will eventually run into issues with decades-old hardware. I have found my Commodore 8-bit computers to be incredibly reliable given their age, but I will still need to perform troubleshooting now and then. Here are some examples of issues and how you can address them:

1. Drive makes a knocking sound and nothing loads - you should check your drive alignment and clean your drive. There are tools including some that are sold new on floppy disk at auction to help remedy drive alignment issues. You should have at least some confidence in opening up your disk drive. A 99% solution of isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab can be used to clean the innards of your drive, especially the drive head.

2. Display is fuzzy, corrupt, or distorted. There could be a number of reasons for this. What type of output are you using for video? If you are using the old “GAME/TV” switch that came in the box you got at auction, I recommend upgrading to a modern connector instead that outputs to composite video (Red,Yellow, White cables). You will see far superior results.

A composite video connector cable with a standard DIN connector for the Commodore’s video/audio out.

Finally the video in your C64 unit may be going bad. If you have more than one unit you can confirm this by swapping them using the same connection. If so, there is no simple way to resolve this and you will need to attempt a hardware repair. You should have some skill and confidence with electronics and experience with soldering before ripping things apart, of course, or practice on junk parts before you try your hand on a vintage computer. I recommend you watch some of the excellent available online repair videos such as this one from YouTuber GadgetUK164 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFZSUVCJwuY as well.

3. Tape won't read. Your tape head may need cleaning. It is rather easy to find a cassette tape deck cleaner even today. Or your tape may have degraded to an unreadable state, in which case your luck may have run out. However you might try the other side of the tape to see if your tape reads better that way. Some tapes I own have a backup recording on the flip side. I have also seen cases where a corrupted tape dump was rescued by some creative programming efforts. Finally, you may try using a program called Cassette Azimuth ( http://csdb.dk/release/?id=49944 ) which will lead you through a tape head alignment through manipulating the “azimuth” or adjusting screw. This is not something I have ever had to do, and in cases of bad dumps usually multiple attempts will eventually succeed.

4. Sounds isn't working properly. Hissing and popping or static noises plague your sound. Check your connectors of course, but it’s possible that you have a bad SID chip. Even if you think you have the skills to replace a bad one with a good one, be careful of the source for the replacement. Believe it or not, there are known cases of bad, broken, and re-marked SID chips that have been made to look new, and according an account from Kevin Horton[6], these once numbered in the hundreds, sold on Ebay.

5. Keyboard is not working. One or more keys are not working properly or require excessive force to respond. If you have to replace a keyboard with a donor unit it is actually very simple and satisfying procedure that can add new life to your Commodore. Even a novice can perform the swap with only a screwdriver to get the case open. In fact, you can swap a keyboard in from a VIC-20 or a different model of C64. Make sure when you replace the keyboard that you do not strip the plastic mounting that the screws go into, and separate your screws to ensure they are going into the same holes they came out of. Some sellers at auction even offer individual keys if you are missing one, but I usually find these to be overpriced.

Other Hardware Maintenance

1. Cartridge and user port slots. Clean with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. Make sure not to leave cotton residue on the port from sharp edges.

2. Massive dust bunnies? Open your C64 and perform a hardware interior clean up. Follow the same procedure from the keyboard replacement mentioned above.

3. Printer ink ribbon / ink replacement. You can actually use black stamp ink from an office supply store to restore a ribbon, just be careful as this can get very messy resulting in ink where you don't want it on the paper.

Chapter Eight:

Programming for the C64

Back in the 1980s I would often run across Commodore demonstration units in stores that had text scrolling on their familiar blue screens. They would say something like:

JASON IS THE BEST!

The message would continue to scroll up the screen in an infinite loop. I was impressed with this public display of programming and how easy it was to replicate. As a result, my first experience with programming was with making my own temporary graffiti that would repeat itself in stores for others to see. The BASIC program is as simple as:

10 PRINT"HELLO WORLD!"

20 GOTO 10

RUN

My curiosity was piqued, and the next brushes I had with actual programming on a Commodore were through type-in programs in Compute's! Gazette, a magazine devoted to Commodore 8-bit computers, particularly the VIC-20 and the C64. The magazines in 1983-85 were thick due to the many pages of BASIC and machine language toward the back half of each. Programs were small enough that one could dedicate an hour or more to type them in directly to a Commodore computer to save or just run on the spot. Utilities and games made the magazine a steady source of programs for the cost of a magazine subscription. Other magazines such as RUN, Your Commodore (UK), and Ahoy! offered similar type-ins.

In later years the type-ins and eventually the magazines themselves were replaced by floppy disks that had once been an add-on to the Compute's! Gazette magazine subscription price. The disks contained the same utilities and games from the type-in sections, so they were a more convenient way to enjoy the programs without typing them in.

For the sake of learning, even back in the 80s I preferred the type-in approach over disks. A budding programmer today can copy and paste some code he finds online and learn little in the process. As a mnemonic I prefer my brain and fingers to be engaged, forced to type in text in the same way that reading text aloud is said to help retention. There is not much to learn by blindly typing in line after line of machine code, but many of the BASIC programs in Compute's! Gazette were simple enough that you could comprehend much of what you were typing in. You could even have some fun by modifying and customizing the programs. For example, lines of text to be printed on the screen at various points throughout a text-based game could be enhanced or changed. Changing things too much could cause your program to have more lines of code than the original program, but dealing with the consequences of such changes was a good learning experience. Original copies of Compute's! Gazette issues are relatively easy to find online today, and disks can also be obtained in online auctions. Scanned-in versions of the magazine may not always include the sections with type-in code, so buying a print copy is worth it. I also find the advertisements alone in those old magazines to be a fascinating window into a bygone era of home computing.

I also own a copy of Time Lost for the VIC-20, an interesting if obscure hybrid of comic book and type-ins. You can read more about a community effort to revive the programs from the VIC-20 version of Time Lost here at the Denial VIC-20 forums.

Time Lost for the C64, along with many other books, can be found here at Bombjack.org.

The availability of BASIC on a home computer mere seconds after turning it on is something I became accustomed to as a VIC-20 and C64 user. In the mid 1990s I moved to a DOS-based PC and was disappointed to see how “dumb” PCs were without loading up an additional program. Decades later, the idea of programming soon after powering on a device is something that is foreign to most computer users, though tablets and apps have the potential to bring the convenience, if not the prominence of BASIC programming, back to computer users once again.

Why learn to program on a C64 today?

With thousands of programs already available for the C64, one might wonder if there is any point to creating your own new and original program today. With advances in programming languages over the past decades, what benefit there could be to learning an outdated style of programming?

Whatever the many individual personal reasons there might be, Commodore 8-bit programming is still going strong today. The idea of being constrained by the technological limits of computers from decades ago and forced to make something impressive in compact code is something that could appeal even to younger programmers who never owned a C64 back in the day. This challenge has inspired mini game competitions and resulted in impressive games such as Minima Reloaded.

Recent quality releases for the C64 such as the Psytronik Software title Soulless or the music utility MSSIAH are inspirations for retro computing enthusiasts. Some truly stunning demos also continue to be made for the C64 thanks to advances not in technology, but in coding tricks and techniques that were unknown to programmers in the 1980s. For that matter, some neat games and even demos for the VIC-20 have been released that would have seemed impossibly advanced for the hardware back in the old days. You can find some great examples of these at the VIC-20 Denial Forums.

If you grew up programming in BASIC on a Commodore computer, returning to it could be a more attractive prospect than learning a new programming language. By the same token, learning how programming languages evolved might appeal to a younger programmer for whom CBM BASIC is entirely new.

What should be your goal? A new game or utility? Perhaps you can find the time to add a save game feature to an old and obscure title that could use it, or rebuild the code of a game recovered from damaged media. You might recreate a C64 version of a title lost to time, like Dungeon of Death by Aardvark Software, by looking at the code in Search for Magdarr and comparing it to the VIC-20 version of Dungeon of Death, a title with striking similarities to Magdarr.

Guides for learning BASIC

Programming in a scripting language became important to me for work reasons a while back, and my interest in programming in general was revived. My days are generally packed with work and life distractions (along with writing), so I try to squeeze in study when I can on the go.

There are many guides to Commodore programming available around the web, and some niche communities are still actively programming for the C64 and VIC-20, so you can likely find people who will be willing to help you out if you get stuck.

Most books on programming the C64 were written in the 1980s and are no longer in print. While auction sites are always a good place to look, you can also find digital copies of many of them on sites such as the aforementioned Bombjack.org, but they are typically in PDF format (the standard popular format that maintains the look of the original pages as scanned). This is the preferred format for preservation or viewing on a PC display, but is not always the best for portable reading. To read them on the go I am forced to convert the files to easier to read formats.

Lost in Space is a neat “edutainment” program that is designed to teach the fundamentals of BASIC programming by pairing it with a disk and a thick booklet that simulates a story where you need to learn to control a spaceship’s computer through typing in BASIC code on your C64.

Though not as small as a smartphone, the tablets I have used are a bit too small to read most files in .PDF format without straining my eyes, and zooming around a page as an option is cumbersome.

One solution is to use an application called Calibre, a free e-book management tool that converts e-books to and from several formats. For example, if you find a 100 book torrent with older Microsoft Reader (.lit) formatted files, you can use Calibre to convert them all for reading in .mobi format on a Kindle-capable device. This works quite well for me. PDF conversion can be trickier, however, and some files may end up with zeroes recognized as nines or the letter O, especially with sections of old books written out in dot matrix text. This is usually a problem that dates back to the OCR scan of the original PDF document, not the conversion itself. Other garbage text can clutter up a conversion. For example, a binder-style margin may show up as zeroes.

Make use of whatever format is the most portable and convenient so you can read about C64 programming on the go, even if it means choosing to buy an original book at auction. I was once asked about the original copy of Introduction to Basic that I was reading at a fast food restaurant.

Your first BASIC program

Many C64 gamers might think they have never typed in a BASIC command, but they surely typed this on the real hardware:

LOAD"*",8,1

This is actually a CBM (Microsoft) BASIC command that will load the first program from the floppy disk.

With your Commodore 64 or emulation program up at the "READY" prompt, type the following:

PRINT"C64 RETRO"

This will print C64 RETRO immediately. This is called the “immediate mode.”

For a more lasting, non-immediate mode program you would use numbers for each line and RUN after completing it. For example:

10 PRINT "C64 WALKABOUT"

You will then see:

READY

Then when you type:

RUN

The output will be:

C64 WALKABOUT

Did you try it? If you have never written a “real” program for the C64 before, well … you just did!

What sort of program interests you enough to write one of your own? Adventure? Trivia? A random number generator for “rolling dice?” Perhaps you just want a guide to bone up on your programming in general. Chances are you will find any of these via a simple web search. Many books were written for the C64 that have since been scanned in and are perfectly useful today. You can find several good ones at EverythingCommodore.com.

Of POKEs and PEEKs

One thing that makes CBM BASIC for the C64 different from another flavor of BASIC you may have studied is the frequent usage of POKE and PEEK commands. The PEEK command reads what is in a specific address in memory, while POKE is used to set the contents. A good way to remember this is that in ROM (read-only memory) you can PEEK but you can’t POKE.

The commands you will need to learn are specific to the Commodore computer you want to program. The Commodore PET, VIC-20, and C64 all use different memory maps (not to mention screen dimensions), so the commands are different even between Commodore computers. This is one reason why it is troublesome to port all but the simplest BASIC programs from the VIC-20 to the C64.

There are, however, several frequently used commands that you can simply copy and utilize in your own programs. Some useful C64 POKEs and PEEKs are listed here: http://ready64.it/articoli/_files/043_pokesc64.txt

Some examples:

POKE 53280,C  = Change border color (C=0-15)

POKE 19,65  =  Turn off question mark during INPUT

POKE 53272,23  =  Upper Case/Lower Case

Assembly and Machine Language

BASIC is the obvious choice for first-time programmers on Commodore 8-bit computers. One reason is that BASIC is available immediately after you power on your C64 or VIC-20. If you intend to make a program with objects that need to move constantly or fluidly or otherwise take full advantage of the hardware of the Commodore 64 however, you will want to learn to program in machine language.

The problem with BASIC is that each line of code needs to be interpreted into a language that the C64 understands. If you've ever played Telengard or the original Temple of Apshai you may recall how the walls around your character have to be drawn each time your character advances to a new screen. Those are BASIC games, and the relative slowness of how their graphics are displayed will stand in stark contrast to a title like Way of the Exploding Fist where split second moves are important.

Assembly or machine code is the native language that the C64 understands without an interpreter. Writing in assembly is a given if you want an impressive program with smooth animations, but it also saves space. While there may be some exceptional examples of BASIC coding that provide the illusion of speed and smoothness, machine language is the tool you will want to use for arcade-quality programs or when you need to jam pack the most bang into a small program.

It is also not necessary to consider the two languages of BASIC and Assembly as completely separate from one another. You may call on machine language routines with a BASIC program, for example. In other words, learning a little assembly could help you even if you prefer to stick mostly with BASIC.

There are multiple resources for learning more about ML programming. One fine website is Codebase 64. There are also some great books over at Bombjack.org.

If you can find yourself a Final Cartridge 3 or any other utility that offers a machine language “monitor,” you can play around with ML coding.

If you want to make great looking demos or the next hot C64 game, I suggest you learn some assembly!

Convenient modern tools for writing CBM code

Writing code today has become much more convenient thanks to advances in technology. Tools for typing in your own programs with all of the benefits of a modern application can help speed up a project or allow easy borrowing from or editing of existing programs.

Arthur Jordison's CBM .prg Studio and the excellent BasEdit.NET are two useful applications for retro programmers. Even if you can only find a few minutes a day on a computer for improving your Commodore programming skills, tools like these make it possible to jump in and out of editing your masterpiece on the fly. Both of these tools are worth downloading since they are free and make it much easier to edit and view the many lines of a typical program than typing straight into a real C64 or VIC-20 either in hardware or emulation. You can make use of the built-in sprite editor, character editor, and the powerful “screen designer” functions in CBM .prg Studio.

Programs like these have only improved in their design and utility, and I am sure that whether it be with these specific programs or not, the future will offer even more innovative features. Until the day comes when a computer can read your mind and make the game of your dreams for you, however, you will need to get to typing.

For practice I suggest using BasEdit.NET to open up and modify a prg file for the VIC-20. You can find several files at Zimmers.net HERE. You can also simply search for “VIC-20 prg files.” Choose a text adventure or very simple text-based program that will allow you to visually separate pure code from strings of text. Such programs are easier to follow for a beginner.

Try to modify the program. For example, try to add or change the text displayed at or near the beginning of the program. The title screen or introductory text in an adventure is a good choice. To test your programs once you make sure you specify 16K of expanded memory, or use PRG Starter to run.

Pseudocode and turtles

One way to ease yourself into (or back into) programming on a Commodore 8-bit computer is to start with software titles that have their own built-in custom commands designed for clarity and ease of use for a broad audience. Rather than programming from scratch, these tools or games offer simplified code or “pseudocode” as an easier alternative. Here are some examples:

Omega

Origin Systems released the title Omega (not to be confused with Omega Race) in 1989. In a nutshell, it is a strategy game where your “cybertank” will win or lose versus enemy tanks based on the quality of the programming instructions you provide. In an era when many home computer owners were exposed to magazine type-ins and programming books and guides for BASIC and other languages, Stuart Marks’ Omega was a good fit. Whether you are an experienced programmer or a beginner, Omega will offer you a strategic challenge as you seek to build the perfect artificial intelligence for your robotic tank.

Omega uses a sort of psuedocode called Cybertank Command Language (CCL).  One of the interesting things about the language is that each command uses up a cycle. Cycles have a real impact on your success in the game. Design an overly complex set of commands for your tank to follow, and your cybertank will fire only once for every two times the enemy fires at you, for example. The underlying theme is that if you write bloated or inefficient code and you lose. Perhaps some modern software companies could benefit from having their programmers play this game?

Lines of instructions you create in the game can look like this:

SMARTMOVE

DETECT OBSTRUCTION ATTANK DIRECTION

IF MOVEMENT IS NOT OBSTRUCTED THEN BRANCH

T O G O

FIRE WEAPON AT OBSTRUCTION

Omega can be as deep or simple as you want it to be. It offers two modes of command inputs, semi-custom and full custom. Using semi-custom design of your cybertank’s AI means choosing chunks of pre-created code. This is a good way to ease yourself into CCL commands before entering commands individually yourself in full custom mode.

Even though it was not the most well-known game for the C64, enthusiasm for Omega still runs deep. I have been asked a couple of time by C64 enthusiasts to recall the name of “that game where you design tank AI.” Since at least 2003 there has been a site up by the name of the Omega Game Shrine. You can find documents and strategy tips there. Game files for multiple systems are also offered, but you’ll want to head over to GB64.com to find a copy of the program for the C64.It seems that tournaments were even planned at one point at the Shrine, and perhaps with renewed interest those could become a reality today.

Turtle Graphics and Logo

If you’ve been a C64 owner for long, chances are you have seen “Turtle Graphics” programs of one form or another mentioned. Turtle graphics is an extension of the programming language Logo. Logo dates back to the 1960s, and is a good “gateway” language from which to learn fundamental programming concepts. Turtle graphics programs are essentially vector graphics editors powered by this relatively simple programming language.

Commands for moving an on-screen turtle in LOGO can be abbreviated and look like this:

FD = FORWARD

BK = BACK

RT = RIGHT

LT = LEFT

A full word for a command could also be used in a command like:

FORWARD 45

This command will draw forward (the direction the “turtle” is facing) out to a distance of 45.

If you like the idea of making computer art but have difficulty controlling a pen or a mouse effectively, Turtle Graphics can offer you sure lines and outcomes. You control a cursor or a “turtle” on the screen by telling it where to move through writing lines of code like the one above.

LOGO is available on many platforms, as are  modern Turtle Graphics programs with 3D, but older versions like HESWare’s Turtle Graphics can offer you the simplicity of an earlier age of LOGO programming as well as some uniqueness from the Commodore platform. I enjoyed learning to program in Logo on a Mattel Aquarius, of all things, just a couple of years ago. The retro look of the output from that computer was part of the appeal for me.

A good resource for Logo on the web can be found at Nostalgia8.nl. Download Commodore 64 Logo by Terrapin. It includes manuals, even one for kids!

Adventure Writer

In the United States, Codewriter Corp. sold Adventure Writer, a version of Gilsoft's The Quill on diskette along with a meaty manual that took budding game creators through making their own programs. Unlike Adventure Construction Set,  Adventure Writer was designed to allow users to make games that could run without requiring players to own a copy of the creation tool. If you want to write a Text Adventure for the C64, Adventure Writer is one of a handful of great tools that will allow you to do so without coding your adventure fully in BASIC.

The reason I recommend Adventure Writer is due to the very informative manual and the aforementioned tutorial. It will take you step by step through detailed adventure creation. Adventure Writer also allows the use of graphics and sound, though its real strength is in the ease of organization of “rooms” in adventures and databases of vocabulary used in the game. As a fun note, it also makes use of the colors on the front of the C64’s keys (another reason to break out your Keyrah) to highlight locations, and I find that appealing as a supporter of those often forgotten color and character keys!

Adventure Writer commands in the editor can look like this:

I OPEN SAFE

PRESENT 7 CARRIED 6 DESTROY 7 CREATE 5 OK

As you can see, AW uses a sort of pseudocode. “I” is short for “Insert” in the example above, for instance, and is a frequently used command.

While there are in fact some very good modern versions of “interactive fiction” editors out there today that you may want to try, if you want to target the retro computing community, why not write a text adventure for the C64? I have started writing my own based on the world of Hadanum , and have found it to be quite an enjoyable process.

You can find a copy of Adventure Writer at the CSDb.

One place you can find a manual scan of Adventure Writer is at Bombjack’s site. I cannot emphasize enough how great the manual is as a guide for first-time users to follow, so please download it!

There is also a fantastic site dedicated to Gilsoft's Professional Adventure Writing System or “PAW” here: http://gilsoftpawreservoir.wordpress.com/ . You can find out more about the history of the tool and download more recent variants of the system, including a Windows version.

I hope to see some great new adventures from you! Any of your adventure masterpieces are welcome for sharing at my Facebook or VK pages.

CBM Basic on the go

Are you ready to start programming right now while out and about? “Hand BASIC – CBM Flavor” is a way to do just that. It is free of charge, runs on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and is based on pagetable.com’s Open Source cbmbasic project.

You can find Hand BASIC CBM Flavor here: https://sites.google.com/site/hawwashsoft/hbasic

If you have an Android device you can use Frodo C64. You might recall that I mentioned Frodo as being a bit feature-bare and outdated when compared to VICE on the PC, but development for Frodo on Android has made for a very useful emulator for the mobile platform. You can find Frodo C64 here: http://www.appbrain.com/app/frodo-c64/org.ab.c64

Chapter Nine:

Commodore Lives On!

Despite disappearing from the market in the 1990s along with the company, the Commodore 64 has remained alive in the hearts of Commodore enthusiasts. It would be incorrect, however, to assume that development of new products for the Commodore 64 has halted. There continues to be a steady stream of independently-made peripherals and software to support the C64 both for those who own hardware and on the emulation side. I  will introduce in this chapter just a few ways in which the Commodore 64 lives on to this day.

In 2010 the Commodore brand was revived, albeit temporarily, through a series of all-in-one type personal computers based on a modern PC architecture. Barry Altman, president of Commodore USA (Not to be confused with the defunct Commodore Business Machines and Commodore International), acquired the rights to both Commodore and Amiga brands and was aiming to make a Commodore 64 replica of sorts. While some of the initial computer designs such as the VIC Slim seemed to be little more than re-branded models of existing (if obscure) types of integrated keyboard PCs, the real shocker came when Commodore USA unveiled a new case design that looked more or less like an original Commodore 64. Dubbed the C64x, it sent shock waves through the C64 enthusiast community and beyond to media outlets. “The Commodore 64 returns!” they shouted[7].  Sure, it was still a PC running a flavor of Linux in Commodore clothing, but a great-looking PC with classic Commodore styling and a keyboard-in-case design that is rare these days. Those hoping for an exact C64 replica might have been disappointed, but Commodore USA’s goal was to make a modern computer, not a device only for hobbyists.

Sure, it was still a PC running a flavor of Linux in Commodore clothing, but a great-looking PC with classic Commodore styling and a keyboard-in-case design that is rare these days. Those hoping for an exact C64 replica might have been disappointed, but Commodore USA’s goal was to make a modern computer, not a device only for hobbyists. One could argue in retrospect that they should have attempted more of a revival of the actual C64 instead, perhaps with dual SID chips or something along those lines.

The spirit of the details was followed in such things as the touting of a classic-style, quality keyboard. Those who know the history of Commodore will recall that Jack Tramiel insisted on a quality keyboard for his home computers versus the cheap membrane and chiclet keyboards being used by some other home computer makers. To sweeten the deal, Commodore USA promised to release a new “Commodore OS.”

The good news for Commodore brand enthusiasts was that this all came to pass. I bought a Commodore VIC-Slim myself not long before starting work on the second edition of this book, and typed that revision on the slick, low-profile, all-in-one PC. While not the famous and instantly recognizable breadbox design of the C64x or a raging gaming machine by any means, the VIC-Slim served me well as a machine dedicated to Commodore emulation and the occasional document work. With the solid state drive I installed, it is quiet, cool, and boots quickly. Its downside is being limited to an older 32-bit version of windows with an Intel video chipset driver that cannot be updated.

In the end, Commodore USA did not last very long as a company beyond their interesting computers and Commodore OS Vision (the promised “Commodore OS”) release.

As for Commodore OS Vision, the custom distribution of Linux went through several “beta” releases and was designed to make C64 emulation easy out of the box, but in the end support for the operating system was discontinued at version 9.  It was also not compatible with the VIC-Slim I had purchased, but if one find a copy today it would be a good secondary choice of operating system to run with a C64x, if one comes up at auction.

Accessories and Tools

Development by enthusiasts also continues for the original Commodore hardware. For example, back in the 2000s I bought an inexpensive device called the “C64TPC” that allowed me to load .D64 image files using a serial cable connected to disk drive port of a real C64. It is not perfect, not many systems today still have serial ports, and it had trouble loading some programs, but it ran several successfully that I did not have original disks for, and more than paid for itself in that regard. Since then there have been even more useful devices that have appeared on the market such as the ZoomFloppy from RETRO Innovations which is great if you are into archiving and transferring old disks to a modern computer.

Today I use a fantastic device called the SD2IEC. The one I have is housed in a case that looks like a miniature 1541 drive, and I have seen new variants of this on sale at auction sites. I would have to say of all the devices I’ve used the SD2IEC has been one of the best. The idea is simple, place a bunch of .D64 images you’ve downloaded on an SD card (yes you could probably fit every title ever made if the SD card is big enough), slot the SD card into your little “floppy drive” and connect the device to the same port on your C64 that you’d connect your floppy drive to. When you turn on your PC you access it very much like a normal floppy disk but through an easy to navigate interface. There was a helpful program to pre-format my SD card so it would work immediately and even with some pre-loaded programs. The only downside I’ve seen is that disk swapping can be a bit tricky if you have a program that requires frequent disk swaps and multiple disk images. The more disks involved with the program, the more tricky it gets to cycle through the images. There are some ways to make it simpler, but it still relies on me counting in my head how many times I’ve pressed a little blue button on the side of my case. Perhaps a simple LED readout would make it easier to track the disk image than the blind pressing of buttons required in the device I own. For simple single-disk images, however, SD2IEC is great.

A retrocomputing setup on my desk including the modern SD2IEC drive right above an Epyx Fastload Reloaded cartridge hooked up to a flat screen monitor.

There many other interesting devices out there for specific needs of C64 hobbyists, such as the the MSSIAH MIDI cartridge (http://www.8bitventures.com/mssiah/), or the Keyrah (http://www.vesalia.de/e_keyrah.htm) device that allows one to use the shell and keyboard of a Commodore computer with a PC motherboard. A good example of such a device is the Comet64 which will be discussed later in this chapter.

New Games

Games were a big part of the C64’s lasting popularity, so it should come as no surprise that new games are being made for the computer regularly despite the age of the system.

Jason “Kenz” Mackenzie runs the still very active Binary Zone and Pystronik Software websites that are dedicated to newly developed or updated software primarily for, but not limited to, the Commodore 64.

C64 and VIC-20 games developed and sold by Psytronik Software

I’ve ordered several games and music CDs from the Binary Zone shipped from the United Kingdom to my home in Texas and have been very pleased with the quality of the products. If you order a digital download and run the games in an emulator you won’t have to worry about PAL or NTSC video compatibility concerns. If you do intend to buy a game on tape, just make sure that it is in a compatible format if you intend to run it on a real C64. Realms of Quest and Carling the Spider run great on an NTSC VIC-20.

Protovision is another developer in Germany that offers original new C64 games and hardware in English and German. You can find the shop here: http://www.protovision-online.de/.

The VIC-20 also has an active fan community and, believe it or not, games and other programs continue to be developed for it, even though its heyday ended long before the Commodore 64’s. Some of the creations are very slick and are superior to commercial releases back in the day. You can find the Denial releases from 2016 here http://sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=7787

You can also play a selection of the VIC-20 Denial games online without an emulator, but using Java, here: http://user.tninet.se/~jad615g/gamesofdenial/.

The Denial community is also where I found the wonderful Mega Cart. Packed with games and utilities, it can also be used as a RAM expander for tape and disk programs that require expanded memory. It’s a VIC-20 hardware owner’s dream! Check it out at http://www.mega-cart.com/. You'll need to put your order in well in advance of getting one. It took nearly a year for mine to ship, but the Mega Cart is well worth it!

Unknown Realm - The Siege Perilous

In 2017 a Kickstarter crowd-sourced project was successfully funded by over 1,200 backers for an 8-bit CRPG in the style of Ultima V titled Unknown Realm. Versions for the C64, PC, and Mac were said to be in the works, but it clearly was designed with the Commodore 64 in mind first and foremost. It promised features and conveniences from more modern role-playing computer games while still staying true to the look and feel of a late-1980s CRPG. Similarly, “feelies” were promised along with the physical versions of the game, and even a cartridge and a “ziplock” package reminiscent of early independent CRPG releases. It was eventually “greenlit” on Steam, an online gaming platform, and the first of its kind as a true 8-bit CRPG game offered on that platform, not just one that was retro-inspired but written for modern computers.

If you enjoy old C64 CRPGs as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to check out what has become of this title, which could very well be available to play by the time you’ve read this.

Psytronik Software

Psytronik Software is based out of the United Kingdom and offers an impressive line of new games for the Commodore 64 and a few other systems. I have ordered several times from them. If you order only digital downloads you won’t need to worry if your equipment is NTSC or PAL (just change the settings in your emulator). As expected for a company based out of the UK, PAL is typically the standard, and PAL games will generally not behave on an NTSC (Americas-based) Commodore machine, but some games they offer with NTSC compatibility as well.

Psytronik Software has been coming out with new products regularly over the past several years, so it’s worth visiting them from time to time to take a look at all of their titles in a wide variety of game genres along with SID music, remixes, and various retrocomputing memorabilia.

C64 Remixes: An Interview with C64 Remixer “Amok”

The remixing community is a vital part of the wildly varied C64 enthusiast scene today. If you have an interest in retro chiptunes or in making music, I encourage you to explore this side of the Commodore 64 community.

Some time back around 2012 I had the pleasure of interviewing Amok, a prolific SID tune remixer with dozens of tracks available for free download at Remix.Kwed.Org and whose music can be heard on such streaming audio sources as the popular Slay Radio.

Amok’s tracks are uniquely soothing, and to my ears sound less techno or hard-hitting than many other remixes I’ve heard. A great example of his work is the song “Star Paws (Chilli-con-Jarre-Mix).” While some remixers take a dramatic departure from the original music, Amok’s remixes sound more like a reverent and gentle homage to those SID tunes.

The more I’ve listened to Amok’s style, the more I feel like his music works as a sort of modernization of the original C64 SID tracks, and can imagine his “Cybernoid II – (r u done mixing yet)” tune, for example, playing in the background of a remake sold today.

On to the interview:

RM: What originally got you into C64 music remixing?

AMOK: Hmm, that’s a long story. But to make it short, I always was impressed by the good old SID tunes. When I was a kid of 10 or 11 years I made my first attempts to make music with the Sound monitor on the C64. It was a disaster and I failed badly because I didn’t understand anything. Then later, when I got my first Amiga 500, the first program I got from a friend was the Noise tracker by Karsten Obarski and making music was so much easier. After 1 or 2 years of practicing it was the first time that something like music came out of my speakers and I was really proud. At that time I also made my first remixes like “Great Giana Sisters”, “Grand Prix Circuit” and the “Battle Squadron Hi-Score theme”.

RM: Do you choose to remix specific SID tunes because you are or were a fan of those games on the C64, or do you discover the SID tunes independent of gaming?

AMOK: It’s independent of gaming. Some of the games I remixed the SID from I’ve never even played like Spellbound or Star Paws. Sometimes I just knew the SIDs from Demos or Cracktros.

RM: What advice do you have for someone new to C64 remixing?

AMOK: Never give up. It’s all about practice. Send your first remixes to http://remix.kwed.org. RKO is a nice community where you will receive much feedback and help to improve your skills. That will help a lot. It’s not like in the old days when I only annoyed 1 or 2 friends and my two sisters with my music!

RM: How do you decide what instruments to use in your remixes, for example in your excellent “Last Ninja, The Wastelands?”

AMOK: I just try dozens of instruments until I’ve found one which fits. In the case of my Last Ninja remix I was pretty lucky with the instruments. I didn’t have to invest much time for the instrument choice. Although there is another version of my “Last Ninja” on SlayRadio where I changed two of the instruments like the rhythm flute (which tends to become annoying after a while IMHO).

RM: When you take on a popular remix song like that one – “The Last Ninja” – do you consciously compare your efforts to those of other re-mixers and try to stand out with a different approach, or do you just aim to make the best sounding remix possible?

AMOK: Of course I try to make a version which is at least above average. But I think my skills aren’t improved enough to challenge the top remixers now. First I try to create a remix which sounds good to me, and if other people like it too, I’m really happy.

RM: Your “Big Deal” remix (a game I’d never heard of, but looks neat, by the way) is a big success on the remix scene as indicated by positive votes. I think it’s a great tune, but what do you think is the reason behind its popularity?

AMOK: In this case I guess I have to thank Jeroen Kimmel for composing a fantastic SID tune. I think the overall sound quality of my remix is not bad and at least for me the sound quality is an important factor determining if I like or dislike a remix. By the way, I’d never heard of the game before I chose it to remix either!

RM: Who else in the C64 remixing scene do you admire or enjoy listening to?

AMOK: There are so many great remixers. This list would be very long and I fear I would forget one or two.

RM: What other projects are you currently working on?

AMOK: I just released a remix in 80s style on amigaremix.com but at the moment there are no serious remixing projects. I entered a competition with a self composed track and in some days there will be a remix released which is top secret.

RM: What more can you tell us about who you are, and other interests you have besides remixing?

AMOK: I’m from Germany, I’m 33 years old, married, and have a son of 4 years. Besides music I like to play soccer and darts.

RM: Thanks for your time!

AMOK: Thank you very much, Robinson, for the interview, I really enjoyed it. And keep up the great work. I really like your C64Walkabout and it’s always nice to see there are people “Keepin´ da Scene alive!!!”

The Demoscene today

Music and art come together in the so-called C64 “demoscene,” and the “sceners” continue to contribute to the Commodore community in their own way.

SaphirJD, a live streaming music DJ, is one of those in the demoscene who provided me with a bit of history and a glimpse into how he got involved with the scene.

SaphirJD never had the chance to get his hands on a Commodore 64 or Amiga back when they were in their heyday, but he appreciated the music and demos of those older computers so much that the demo scene pulled him in after the fact.

His first contact with scene music and demos was during the 90s. He got his hands on a Game CD where some Assembly DOS Demos were featured. At the time he didn’t know the origins but was impressed about the sound and visuals.

On this Disc there were also some tracked tunes in the “mod” format. He fell in love with the songs and got more from a friend soon after: a CD with dozens of songs in mod and other formats. An expired shareware player closed the door on his enjoyment, and forgot about the music for a while.

Fast forward to 2002: he found the CD with those songs again, discovered Winamp (and plugins for chip tunes) and tried to get more songs and demos running. He then stumbled onto “back2roots,” a large online collection of scene-related things.

Later he discovered Nectarine Demoscene Radio (now followed in spirit by Demovibes Demoscene Radio) and thanks to that he met “Nuke” from Surprise Productions who taught him some things about demos. Ever since, he’s been a big fan and collector of scenemusic and demos in General.

Since 2008, from time to time, he performs netradio shows for Radio-PARALAX, the Tristar Demogroup, and on a site of his own. He tries to convey in his radio streams the “best” of scenemusic and Netlabel Tunes from the 1990s up to today.

SaphirJD is just one of the many people involved in the Commodore demoscene today, but if you’d like to follow him and check out his site, go here: http://sjd.myftp.org/.

An example of a recent cute demo link that he sent me can be found here: http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=56624. Run it as you would any .D64 file, in VICE or C64 Forever. Make sure you have your sound on!

Interview with Cracking Group member Mustaine of Hokuto Force

(Edit: It’s worth noting that as of this writing in 2017, Mustaine is now known as “Dr. Strange” of the group Atlantis - you can check out their releases here: http://csdb.dk/group/?id=240)

The Commodore community is wide and deep, and if delve into it like I have, you’ll meet all sorts of interesting people who share your passion for the C64. I have known “Mustaine” from Hokuto Force under a couple of different names over the years. What follows is an interview with him from when he was with Hokuto Force.

As a teen in the 80s I used to see “cracking” teams as shadowy counter-culture groups around the world who left mysterious shout outs in the scrolling message cracktros that played while I loaded pirated games they somehow indirectly managed to supply to the sneaker net at my high school in Texas. When Mustaine told me he was also a reader of the first edition of my book, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask him, as an Italian member of a still active cracking group, for an interview. What follows is our exchange in its entirety. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into international cracking’s past, present, and future!

RM: What can you tell me about the history of the cracking group Hokuto Force?

Mustaine: Hokuto Force was born in 1988 but officially the first actual releases started to appear around 2000 on CSDb. Hokuto Force perfectly filled the void that groups like F4CG left in Italy when the C64 Italian scene started its downfall. However, I try to stay away from comparisons with groups like F4CG, which in my opinion represent true Italian cracking excellence. Anyway, the activity of HF started to gather some new and old sceners from Italy and other countries. The Overkiller, who is the original founder of the group, is still charge and he manages to keep the group up to good standards in terms of quality and quantity of releases. HF, during its own history, has been mainly a cracking group and had in its member ranks talented and skilled crackers like Mr. Fox and Ian Coog, fine coders like Richard Bayliss, and even hardware gurus like The Chaos Engineer, who is actually the creator of the well known DC2N device and TapClean software. There are actually many more, especially now that the group expanded its family and is gathering new talented sceners. We are currently working on new methodologies trying to achieve strict quality standards for all our future releases.

RM: Is there a connection with the Japanese manga/animation Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)?

Mustaine: Indeed. The name of the group is inspired by the post atomic Japanese cartoon of martial arts Hokuto no Ken. Even many of our slogans are inspired by the Hokuto No Ken series. If you see around something on the c64 with “The power of the seven stars!” or “The fist of the north star!” on it, it’s us. The inspiration, apart from the personal tastes of The Overkiller, came directly from our childhood background, when in Italy, as in other different countries, the mystical ultra violence of Hokuto No Ken, kept us in front of the television along with millions of other kids. I guess that manga/animation had something that mixed mystical, sci fi, post apocalyptic and religious elements which really impressed us in a fascinating way. Our group embraced a connection with the Japanese cartoon at that level that all Hokuto Force members refer to themselves as “Monks,” and our abstract headquarters as our “Monastery.”

RM: How did you get involved with the cracking group, and what role did you play?

Mustaine: I have been involved in the cracking scene since the early nineties. Everything started when a schoolmate decided to create a small label (called Paranoia) to sell games in our school. The main purpose was only to make some money to buy new games for us and we basically decided to merge our two games collection to create a big list of games worth to be presented to all C64 owners in the school. The feedback was quite positive and because the affordable prices we started to have more and more orders every month. Nothing really relevant, but for a 13yo kid was enough to buy new games every month. At that stage we felt we had to contact a bigger supplier to get more games at lower prices. This supplier we found was actually one the main Italian cracking groups in the scene: Italian Cracking Service (aka ICS). They started to make money on us selling tons of disks that we used to resell on our school market. After few months, once I realized that we could try to use our name rather than ICS’s one, we decided to invest the money to buy original games and label them with our name Paranoia. Some of them were pure re-cracks of other guys’ stuffs and some other were completely made by us.

One day I felt that we had to have an actual crack intro for our group, as all other worthwhile crews in the scene did. I had no idea how to create one but I managed to use BASIC routines to link an intro screen with our name and address in front of cartridge freezed games. Very simple, I know, but I guess every scener started more or less in the same way. Anyway, a few weeks after I got in touch with another part of the Italian scene formed by members of The Force Italy, Arm, Gax777 and BCT. They actually introduced me in the scene, teaching me how to behave and survive in an actual cracking environment. I have to say, before that time, I didn’t have any idea of how really the scene was structured and how many unwritten rules there were. We immediately jumped into this new adventure guided by guys like Gabriel//The Force, who taught me that being in the scene was a balance between quality, quantity, and last but not least having fun.

A Few months after we shut down our small label Paranoia, and Gabriel wanted me as organizer of Gax777. I really felt that role was something really important even if I had no idea what to do. I managed to guide the group for at least another year when I realized that Gax777 was dying and decided to leave for another group. However that first year represented my baptism and I can still remember my first attempts to create decent cracks and have an actual swapping network. In honesty I have to say that I was not a very skilled cracker back then, even if I released some things, since they were no more than disk fillers. Cracking is a serious thing and real crackers know that. I much more enjoyed the swapping activity, which back in the day was a real important part of the scene. We had no internet and the only real connection between sceners was possible by a swapping network (all made by standard international post) and modem trading. Since modem trading was quite rare, swapping was the main activity around and I still can remember the days when I had more than 100 swapping contacts. As a big personal achievement I even managed to reach the Turkish-based group Accuracy.

In 1994 I decided to leave the scene mainly because the C64 was dying under the attack the more powerful consoles and 16bit machines. Thus from 1994 to 2002 I was completely inactive, thinking that everything was just over, buried in the past of home computer history. It was probably in 2002, while surfing on internet, that I discovered the C64 community was gathering again on the net and there were both legal and illegal aspects of the “scene” which was still alive and kicking. I have to say I was really surprised. I couldn’t believe that the old bread box was still capable of keeping us in front of it for hours and hours as it was when we were teenagers. But there you have it. I still can remember when I created my CSDb profile and I started to get in contact again with old friends whom I use to swap with in the past.

One day, I don’t remember how, I stumbled into The Overkiller of Hokuto Force and after few chat sessions he managed to get me again in front of an assembler monitor and a packer. I remember I definitely struggled to remember how to do things I was capable  of 10 years earlier. With a lot of patience I managed to remember some simple BASIC skills. In a couple of months I was again able to code a basic trainer menu, read lines of assembler and crack a basic protection. Then, Overkiller asked me to join Hokuto Force and I was honored to accept. After seven years I’m still in. I cover many positions in the group, from cracker to original supplier and occasionally graphic designer. At the moment, since my passion is video game collecting, I’m changing my role more into original supplier rather than cracker, which I prefer to leave to more skilled and talented members.

RM: Were you paranoid about being found out for your cracking/swapping efforts? Was your home country tough on software piracy?

Mustaine: Well, considering the young age (14-17yo), I would say both yes and no. Yes, because I knew that in Italy there were rules about the copyright infringement. No, since at that age I just didn’t care about it. I didn’t feel that it was such a horrible crime to be accused of.

However, even if my country was quite soft about software piracy controls, I had many issues with the National Post. As you probably would know, stamp cheating was a must for every swapper with at least more than 30 contacts. At that age you just couldn’t afford to send every month more than 100 packages all over the world and we really needed a system to keep the stamp expenses down. One of this was the glue layer on the stamp. Basically we used to put a thin layer of glue over the stamps to allow the receiver to cut the stamps off the envelope, put them in the water and remove glue and postmark in one shot. On that way, we could save a lot of money reusing stamps every time, but obviously it was illegal and the post office of my home town noticed the practice after few months. They just realized that someone was receiving a massive amount of mail every month and suspiciously all the stamps were covered by a thin layer of glue. After 6 months of high swapping activity they called me to check why all the stamps were covered by the glue. I just told them I didn’t know but I was aware that they were seriously keeping an eye on me. They probably investigated more since after a while I received fees for illegal use of postal stamps. Fortunately, the amount to pay it wasn’t massive, but I had to warn all my contacts to avoid the use of glue on the stamps. Despite that, some contacts continued to use glue on the envelopes and the Italian Post started to check even my outgoing post which even if I used to mail from different mailboxes in my home town, it was quite easy to spot due the dimension of the envelopes. Since that point they tormented me marking all the stamps with a black chunky pen, checking all my post and even blocking part of my incoming post. I remember I had to ask one of my old friends if he could receive mail for me.

Frankly, apart from that I have never been worried about any other legal implications. Back in the day even in the newsagents and computer shops, illegal software was available to the general public. I know it sounds pretty weird but the in the eighties and nineties all the copyright software related laws in Italy were still in a kind of a gray zone.

RM: While some criticize pirates for killing profits on C64 games, others say that thanks to the efforts of cracking groups, we now have widespread copies of games that might have disappeared to decay otherwise. How do you see it?

Mustaine: Well, this is a really interesting question. Since I’m a collector and part of cracking group I can tell you that one of most exciting activities for me a scener is to chase rare games that need be improved and preserved. This obviously not straightforward as it sounds, especially when some titles are considered minor and some groups don’t consider this process relevant. We have to face the fact that groups in the scene want to keep their reputation intact trying to release popular stuff that people may like. This is not always a bad thing, but during the time, I realized that there were still a lot of titles that have never been restored properly. Apart from that, I personally think that first we should divide preservation from the pure improvement that all the cracking groups try to achieve. For me, preservation is just a process that involves the conservation of an original copy on its own support (Disk, Tape or Cartridge), the transfer from the original support to a digital format and the scan of the artwork and documentation. Once you have done that, you can say that a copy of a game has been preserved from the decay of time. We all know that old disks and tapes will be eventually unusable in probably less than 20 years and our magnum opus should be finished before that time. Unfortunately we don’t have a good system to preserve originals, and from being a collector I can tell you how many games I found which are not working just because the medium itself didn’t age that well. Bear in mind that cracking is a different effort from pure preservation, which is a sort of video game archaeology. To answer to your question anyway, as a collector I can say that there are still a lot of minor titles that scream to be preserved. I can reassure you by saying that there are lot of people like me that spend time digging for C64 history, trying to preserve all of its heritage from the dust of time.

RM: I see Hokuto Force has a website today - what activities does the group pursue currently?

Mustaine: We are actually restructuring our website and I have put extensive effort toward creating a new design which can represent us better. We are actually renewing our “brand” mainly because the activities of the group are changing to embrace new different activities. Since we were merely a cracking group, thanks the all the efforts of The Overkiller, we managed to gather artists and graphicians with the aim to drive the group in the demoscene and probably something more. There is an absolute novelty which will probably see Hokuto Force involved in the game brewing scene.

RM: Anything else you’d like to share about Hokuto Force?

Mustaine:  If any of the readers are interested on all the Hokuto Force and of all the rest of scene news it might have a look and follow all the activities on http://noname.c64.org/csdb/ and on our website http://hokutoforce.c64.org

CSDb is a fundamental instrument of diffusion of all the new and old scene related releases and is the place you need if you want to find old friends, info about all the groups, and interesting trivia about releases, facts and curiosities. If you want to submit any game release request just give us at shout out through the website or directly at hokutoforce.c64.org.

Zork, V-1541, and CommodoreServer.com

Do you remember enjoying single-player games on your C64 with someone sitting beside you, offering advice or just chatting while you played? Are you new to text adventures and want advice beyond a bare bones online walk-through where the fun of exploration and interaction with your environment is stripped away and boiled down to only the essentials? Group Zork is available to enjoy for free at CommodoreServer.com, and it allows you to enjoy the “friend over your shoulder” gaming experience.

Getting set up at CommodoreServer.com will take a few minutes, but it’s worth it just for the satisfaction of connecting. You can connect using a device like Comet64, but lacking that device myself I used WinVICE to connect. This article will show you how to connect as I did: http://tinyurl.com/3ktgnjx.

Remember, you’ll need to get a free account at CommodoreServer.com first, then enter a “pin” in your account settings for use when logging in via VICE. For some reason I had to use the “login using a Comet64” to get it to work on my system, but it worked fine after that. Follow the GROUP ZORK article ( http://tinyurl.com/43mgvek ) for the rest of the steps. If you see scrolling garbage text as I did when using the Comet64 method in WinVICE, don’t worry, that’s an indication that you’ll soon be joining Group Zork! Remember to set either your e-mail address OR username as the preferred log in method at CommodoreServer.com. I got hung up trying to use my username to get into Group Zork when my e-mail address was the correct login method selected in my account settings.

Group Zork is actually both a public and private chat tool, in addition to being a place to play the old Infocom text adventure Zork in “rooms” where others can watch your progress and offer suggestions. When you join you can see others in the main room, but you can hold conversations with members in your own “room” when you start a game of Zork. You can also save your progress and come back later to continue.

You’ll need to download the V-1541 file and run through some basic steps after configuring VICE (remember to check “save settings on exit” in VICE and restart VICE) before you do anything:

1. Attach the disk image, as you would any other .D64, and then type LOAD“*”,8,1

2. Once loaded, type SYS 49152.

3. Then type NEW to clear and reset the BASIC pointers. V-1541 is now running in the background.

To read more about V-1541, see the user’s guide. (I did not need to read it to get up and running myself).

Many active members at CommodoreServer.com are on the West Coast, so if you’re logging in from Europe at 9AM PST you might not see much activity.

Aside from GroupZork, CommodoreServer.com offers online storage for your .D64 files. With CommodoreServer.com and V-1541 you can:

* Upload and Download .D64 files

* Upload and Download PRG and SEQ files

* View PRG and SEQ files by clicking on the file from the Website – list BASIC programs or view the Machine Language disassembly

* Create subfolders to help organize your disks

* Display a list of all files on all disks in a specific folder

* View the binary data on a particular sector of the disk

* Create snapshots of disks to keep an ongoing history of changes (great for programming)

* LOAD and SAVE files with your Commodore 64 directly on disks at CommodoreServer.com

* Create a floppy disk in your 1541 drive from a .D64 image stored on CommodoreServer.com

* Share disks with friends

And more ...

A Comet 64. Image used with permission © 2011, CommodoreServer.com. All rights reserved.

Accessing your .D64 files from anywhere you can get VICE and install it is a plus in my book. As long as you remember your PIN for remote access (or log in to your account at CommodoreServer to set it) you’ll be able to show off that demo .D64 of yours on the road without carrying a storage device around with you.

The Comet64 modem is relatively inexpensive as well, so you might consider buying one to get your actual C64 online. Show off your C64 connected to the Internet! You can learn more about the Comet64 here: https://www.commodoreserver.com/Products.asp.  I do still see it for sale at Commodore Server as of writing the 3rd edition of this book, but it may not be available in the years ahead.  There always seems to be something new on the scene, so I encourage you to check sites such as Protovision and Versalia Online, or look into RR-Net + Contiki for alternatives to some of the functions you might enjoy on the Comet64.

Worth noting is that in 2017 I have noted activity from German scener “Baracuda,” and his blog at CommodoreServer.com which has some useful tips around disk archiving, checking software, etc - check it out! https://www.commodoreserver.com/BlogView.asp?BID=48D35A7E234E4EC58FBCB759CFA5CC28&CategoryID=49

Interview with CommodoreServer.com and PDXCUG founder Greg Alekel

I met Greg (also known in C64 circles as “Goog”) in 2011 through Twitter, if memory serves, and discovered the many projects he works on through CommodoreServer.com and the Portland Commodore User’s Group (PDXCUG). Users groups like PDXCUG

RM: Who was behind the creation of CommodoreServer.com and how long has the site been around?

Greg: CommodoreServer started as an afterthought from my design of the Comet64 Internet Modem. I first created the modem with the thought of just being able to connect to the Internet easily, without having to learn a lot about networking or configurations of IP stacks, etc. My original intent was to make something that would work “out of the box”. CommodoreServer was born so that users would have something to connect to when first turning it on.

I brought my good friend, known as Agent Friday, into the design of the device pretty early-on. The two of us worked together on various parts of the project and before we knew it, we had the C64 loading the game Defender from the Internet.

CommodoreServer started in 2009 (under a different name), but was publicly released in June of 2010. The first services to become available on the site were online disk storage for your .D64 and other Commodore files, disk sharing, community blogging, and some handy Web-based utilities (such as a sector viewer, BASIC program listings, a simple disassembler, BASIC loader for ML programs, a HEX dump of files, etc.). Of course, the best part was being able to access many of the same things right from your Commodore computer and LOAD files directly off the Internet.

The service operates not only through a modern Web browser, but also through a specially-designed and well-thought-out Internet protocol, called CSIP (CommodoreServer Internet Protocol). It operates similarly to other Internet protocols, such as SMTP, FTP, HTTP, Gopher and more. The protocol is designed to be human-friendly, but also geared to be easy for 8-bit computers to use, since they have less processing power than modern-day PCs.

Since its inception, CommodoreServer has grown and new services have been added, such as public disks (allows members to publish their disks), a public photo gallery where members can upload Commodore-related photos, and a multi-player gaming service where members can meet up to chat and play online games. Group Zork is the first game to take advantage of this service. It allows friends to chat in the public chat room or start up a public or private game of Zork. During a game, others can join in and watch the action or chime-in to give suggestions. Game players and watchers can also continue to chat with the other members still in the room.

CommodoreServer has an active development cycle with new features and application services becoming available all the time, with membership increasing as well.

RM: What advantages does the Comet64 have over other devices or methods that have been available to connect to the internet with a C64 previously?

Greg: The Comet64 Internet Modem connects to the user port on a Commodore 64, Vic-20, or Commodore 128. That alone is an advantage because it can be used on multiple systems. Other devices are made to work on a specific platform. Also, since it is a user port device, existing RS-232 programs can function without any modification (in most cases), such as a terminal program. For example, you can now call up your favorite Telnet BBS using the same terminal programs that you used in the early 80s with a telephone modem.

The Comet64 also has an optional RS-232 port on it. You can use it to connect to any standard RS-232C device. I used it on my 46" LCD TV, which has an RS-232 port, to configure, manage and change channels on it. My Tv’s user manual told all of the commands that could be used and the Comet worked perfectly.

RM: V-1541 was easy to use in VICE to connect to CommodoreServer.com. Is it primarily for accessing pre-existing .D64 images on a real C64, or can files from physical disks also be copied from drive 8 through Comet64 and up into disk images at CommodoreServer.com?

Greg: V-1541 is a virtual disk drive application which replaces the C64’s LOAD and SAVE routines, for the purposes of accessing disk images on CommodoreServer using the CSIP protocol.

Included on the V-1541 disk are some additional tools and utilities to enhance disk access remotely. We have successfully created programs to both download a .D64 disk image to a real disk and from a real disk to a .D64 on CommodoreServer. Higher baud rates will make disk transfers over the Internet incredibly fast, allowing you to back up your collection or create real disks from new software releases.

RM: I tried Group Zork and it was a lot of fun with the chat features. Do you have plans for more group experience games like this one?

Greg: Yes, Group Zork was the flagship program to work with CommodoreServer’s chat and gaming services. The gaming services are not limited to text-based games. Any game using the CSIP gaming service can use the same methods for connecting to friends, chatting and playing online together. Among the games we currently have in development, BASIC and Machine Language games can also be ported over, whether by us or anyone who likes to write programs.

What’s really unique about the gaming service is that it takes a lot of the hassles of game programming away from the developer. One immediately noticeable benefit is that any client computer (C64, Vic, C128) can connect to the same service and play the same game against each other.

While chat on a real C64 is somewhat nostalgic, it is a necessary ingredient for multi-player, online games for any platform. CommodoreServer provides this service to every game developed, along with features for finding friends, connecting to a game, setting the proper number of players and starting up and staying in sync. so the game developers can focus more on game play-ability and less on maintenance of the game and players.

Another unique feature of the game server is that modern-day PCs can connect to CommodoreServer to provide game logic, rules, and calculations for the clients. A PC is more equipped to handle some of these tasks, so we designed the service to be flexible and available to any type of computer or Internet device (such as RR-NET or 64Nic+). Even other 8-bit computers can join in the fun. Imagine a war game where Commodore gamers can play against Atari gamers to solve the “my computer is better than yours” rivalry once and for all.

RM: You are also the founding member of the PDXCUG. What projects have you been working on at recent meetings?

Greg: Yes, the Portland Commodore Users Group is a very active group. We have many local members but the group expands globally with some honorary members as well. We meet monthly and have a variety of presentations, demos, games and projects.

We started out with the idea that our group could work on projects together, accessing the skills of each member. But we found that method didn’t work well because not everyone always had the same level of interest in a group project. Now, it seems members work on their own projects and leverage off of one another for ideas, inspiration and help.

Our members are working on new games, new hardware, cross-platform development tools, and Commodore modifications and hacks. We often have “tinker time” which allows members to work on their individual projects or clean and repair equipment.

PDXCUG image used with permission by © 2010 PDXCUG.org All Rights Reserved

RM: I heard that PDXCUG has shown up at CommVEx, the annual Commodore conventions in Las Vegas. Can you provide more details on that convention?

Greg: CommVEx is an event that takes place near the end of July each year in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a wonderful show and it seems to grow and get better every year. All levels of Commodore enthusiasts attend and can walk away with something interesting and useful. It is a friendly, open environment where people gather to talk, play games and learn about Commodore computers and their place in history. There are many excellent presentations and discussions for all interest levels. Often, there are guest speakers who have contributed greatly to the Commodore community in one way or another.

CommVEx also has dozens of door prizes, freebies and a raffle with some rare and unique pieces of Commodore equipment or software. Many times, there are new releases of games or other goods that are first seen (or exclusively seen) at CommVEx.

If you have the means, I highly recommend attending this event.

RM: Regarding Group Zork: – Do you have interesting facts to share about that effort?

Greg: The Group Zork program has three parts:

1) CommodoreServer’s Gaming Service

The gaming service allows clients and/or servers to connect to the gaming / chat rooms where people meet up, chat, and connect & play together.

2) The Zork Client

The Zork Client was written by Agent Friday, from an idea he shared with members of the Portland Commodore Users Group in May of 2010. Because of CommodoreServer’s gaming service, he was able to fulfill his vision quickly and easily. He wrote the bulk of it in BASIC and used ML code to handle the Internet communications.

3) The Zork Server

The Zork Server is a multi-threaded server program that runs on a PC attached to CommodoreServer at all times. It sits in a room, waiting for the signal to start up a new game. It handles the game state, game logic, and saved game data and serves the appropriate responses to all of the games that are in-session at the time.

VICE can simulate the Comet64 Internet modem so you can play using a C64 emulator.

Any number of people may participate in the game and/or chat.

Group Zork is the first game to utilize the gaming services of CommodoreServer.

RM: Regarding Comet64: What are some of the more creative uses of Comet64 that you’ve seen?

Greg: There are a few fun ideas that have surfaced.

Gene Buckle, from the Puget Sound Commodore Users Group, designed a device that has a microcontroller and Hayes-compatible modem code on it. The device can plug into the Comet64 on one side and have a generic connection (with an appropriate connecting wire) on the other so that the Comet64 can be used with any RS-232 port equipped computer, as if a regular modem was attached. This allows any computer that was previously able to connect with a telephone modem to instead connect to the Internet.

I had another report of the Comet64 being used as some sort of a gateway between two other RS-232 devices, controlled by the Commodore 64 (I’m a little fuzzy on the details, however).

Since the Comet64 can be equipped to run straight RS-232 over a DB9 connector, some have used it just to connect to their Pc’s, using it as a gateway to the Internet in that way.

Another individual merged the DOS Wedge with V-1541 so that the DOS Wedge commands could be issued directly to the modem (instead of using V-1541’s LOAD command). It is aptly named W-1541 and is available in the Public Disk directory on CommodoreServer.com. He also included an Easy Flash image and a ROM image for a custom EPROM.

Lastly, a friend and I have used a Comet64 on a Commodore SX-64, tied to an Internet Connection Sharing device, right from the free Wi-fi connection at Starbucks. We downloaded a variety of games and played them in front of the patrons. As you might imagine, that stirred up a few conversations and got some interesting looks.

RM: Do you see V-1541 as a viable alternative to some storage solutions like SD2IEC? I see a strong potential upside if you can have saved games that you access via a real C64 and then VICE when you’re on the go, because for me, typically those two worlds (D64s used with VICE and real disks for my real Commodore) are not shared. Say, you save your game with a Comet64 equipped C64, then access that same .D64 file and saved game while at a coffee shop’s wireless Internet on your mobile Windows device through WinVICE. Sure, you could carry around an SD card everywhere you go, but V-1541 seems to bridge the gap better?

Greg: Although it does not replace mass-storage devices such as SD2IEC (I have one myself and love it), it most certainly does bridge the gap, as you suggest. It is very handy for many reasons, including what you have just stated. But also for development work. CommodoreServer has the ability to retain snapshots (data on a disk, preserved in time). When writing new code, say on a PC, you can upload new versions of your file and immediately have access to it from a real C64. Likewise, if you are writing code on a real C64, you can save it to a disk on CommodoreServer.com and immediately have access to it from VICE.

As organizer of PDXCUG, I find it very useful for the club as well – if anyone wants to see a demo or load a program that we don’t have on disk, we can just upload it to CommodoreServer and access it from a real C64. SID tunes are especially handy emulators don’t do as good of a job as the “real thing”!

RM: What enhancements lie in store for V-1541? Will it be able to work with games or applications that demand you “Insert Disk B” during play?

Greg: There are some limitations with devices that use a different device number. For instance, many programs hard-code the disk drive as device number 8. The Comet64 operates on device #2 (the RS-232 port). V-1541 works well for many things, but does not perfectly emulate a disk drive. Since its creation, we have fixed many of these issues and continue to do so.

We have plans in place to address the “Insert Disk B” issue as well. One idea, though less convenient, would be to insert the new disk from the Web. A better idea would be to have a way to do it from the computer and we have some ideas on how this can be done. V-1541 is under constant improvement.

RM: Regarding CommodoreServer.com: I’m interested in the disk sharing aspect. If I wanted to promote, say, a .D64 image sharing event or contest for Adventure Construction Set user created games, would that be possible at CommodoreServer.com?

Greg: Absolutely. With the disk sharing feature and Public Disk image releases, users are able to share their disks (either privately or publicly). A member could start a blog and post the information and rules about the contest and entries could be published in the Public disk space. Of course, it would be best to allow CommodoreServer to help promote it so that information on the event could be found more easily and so that a special folder could be created for these types of entries.

What will YOUR contribution be?

What new and exciting ways might you contribute to the C64 scene? Here are some ideas and projects you might pursue to make the Commodore 8-bit scene an even richer one to experience.

1. Create an online repository dedicated to a specific utility or program for the C64, including D64/T64 files and their related documentation scanned into PDF form.

Interest in C64 games is strong, but I often find that among the non-game programs I've collected it can be difficult to find the software in a digitally archived format. When I do find a website dedicated to the archival of such programs, such as the GEOS download section CBMFiles.com, I find it immensely useful and worth adding to my bookmarks.

Here are some suggestions for specific C64 utility websites you might build that would be great ways to attract a niche audience:

- Art programs and related documentation with a place to upload 8-bit artwork to share, such as a forum

- Word processors and finance programs and related documentation and tips on using them or perhaps even ways one might access old data still on disks with these

- Tools related to cracking software / removing copy protection and how to use them  - particularly for those who didn’t grow up in the cracking scene

- Educational Software titles and their related packaging and documentation

- Peripheral hardware and related software and documentation (KoalaPad and ComputerEyes, for example).

2. Document and share your disk, tape archival, and cracking techniques on a blog.

A real pirate never gives away the secrets to his cracking booty, or so I've been told. But what if you did? List out the best tips and tricks to archive original C64 disks and floppies into digital formats. Disambiguate for the layman all the different file formats out there and list the reasons for choosing one over another.  Delve into the basics of cracking tools and bring a new generation into the craft!

3. Use the limitations of a C64 “pixel art” program to authentically create modern media, such as:

- Reproductions of modern memes in C64 pixel art to share on social media

- T-shirt designs you can sell with C64 in-game characters like Dizzy, Jumpman, or one of the characters from Below the Root, for example

- Create banners in Print Shop and instruct others on how to use a vintage dot matrix printer to print these out for retro parties / gatherings

- Characters and settings for a modern game, relying only on colors and dimensions you are capable of creating in an original C64 tool such as Shoot ‘em up Construction Kit, HESWare Graphics Basic, or Adventure Construction Set  - thus avoiding the problem of things not looking quite true-to-era accurate in so-called “8-bit” modern games

4. Make CBM BASIC New Again

- Create a new BASIC program or modify a BASIC type-in program from an old magazine like RUN or Compute's! Gazette

Add your name in there somewhere

Add a reference to A Commodore 64 Walkabout! Wow what a shameless plug…

Add any modern-day reference

- Create a BASIC program that fills a certain need that would not have existed back in the 1980s or 90s, such as randomizing your favorite brands of beer to determine what you’ll drink next, or a program to track minutes of phone / data usage per family member / phone including remaining data allowances.

- Program a simple song in BASIC for a tune that is relevant to any time since the 1980s, such as the theme to a recent television show. Page 103 in Commodore’s Introduction to BASIC Pt. 1 has some very simple examples of how to get started with music and sounds.

5. Game Competitions. Make gaming on the C64 a social event!

- Play head to head for something of value. Maybe the loser buys a pizza dinner. Perhaps up the ante and ask people to bring a unique silver coin (about $15-20 USD value in 2017), available with free shipping from a place like JMBullion.com. The coins end up passing hands around the group due to the rules of the competition. First, select 3 action games at random from the CSDb.  Some ideas: Space Chase, Way of the Exploding Fist, Jumpman Jr., or Archon II: Adept for a longer more strategic action game if only two people are playing. M.U.L.E. is a great title for up to 4 challengers to play at once.

Next, without requiring anyone to put a coin into the game, allow the “losers” (those with no coins) their choice of one game each to win their one coin back. If they don't win at all, the loser (or losers) gets to choose the 3 games that will be played at the next competition meet-up. There are so many C64 games out there (over 25,000 at last count at GB64.com) that there is no way the winners of the prior match-up can hope to practice in advance...

- Have a simple tournament with a pre-announced selection of 6 possible games, determined by a roll of a standard 6-sided die. You can generate tournament brackets here: http://challonge.com/tournament/bracket_generator

6. Recreate a never-released C64 title in Adventure Construction Set or a similar game creation tool. For example, Epyx’s Rescue at Rigel was never made for the C64, but was offered for the VIC-20. One could make a version available for the C64 through ACS, and even include the room flavor text in on-screen text instead of requiring the instruction manual.

These are just a few ideas of how you might make the wide world of retrocomputing an even more exciting place to be!

In Conclusion

And there you have it, an introduction to the wide world of all things Commodore 64 today and some ideas for having fun, with a little VIC-20 thrown in for good measure. And I have only scratched the surface! Are you ready to join the C64 community of retro computer enthusiasts yet? Stop on by the Commodore 64 Walkabout site on Facebook or drop me a line at my VK page, or show up at one of the many other places I’ve mentioned in this book if you want to get a head start. Join a forum, a users group, or an online chat session, and become part of the conversation.

The C64 lives on through fans like you!

###

About the Author:

Robinson Mason grew up moving around the U.S. from state to state as a boy and ended up in Hawaii where he developed a love for things Japanese. This led him to move to Japan to attend a university and work in Tokyo for nearly a decade. When not creating his own original fiction, he enjoys writing and blogging about a wide variety of topics including retro computers such as the Commodore 64. He currently lives in Texas and has a day job for a major computer technology company program managing large-scale datacenter deployment projects that would make anyone’s head spin!

Connect with Robinson Mason online:

A C64 Walkabout on Facebook

Robinson Mason at VK

Thank you for reading A Commodore 64 Walkabout. Did you enjoy this book? If so, why not give my fiction stories a try? These include the Hadanum Saga and more are to come! All of my fiction includes at least one C64 or retrocomputing reference. Will you be able to spot them?

[1] Commodore VIC-20 was the first computer to sell 1 million units. https://www.generationamiga.com/2017/04/27/commodore-vic-20-was-the-first-computer-to-sell-1-million-units/

[2] How many Commodore 64 computers were really sold? Pagetable.com  http://www.pagetable.com/?p=547

[3] Apple's Macintosh has forced the world to change for 30 years. AppleInsider http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/01/24/apples-macintosh-has-forced-the-world-to-change-for-30-years

[4] iPhone C64 Emulator Approved by Apple, Removed Again for Hiding Banned Feature  https://www.wired.com/2009/09/iphone-c64-emulator-approved-by-apple-removed-again-for-hiding-banned-feature/

[5] p.32 COMPUTE!’s Gazette December 1988

[6] On Remarked SIDs http://kevtris.org/Projects/sid/remarked_sids.html

[7]