C64 Walkabout

Celebrating the VIC-20, 30 Years Later

Robinson Mason — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:32:00 GMT

Before I owned a Commodore 64, I had a Commodore VIC-20. Like the C64 and other 80's computer and console gaming icons, it was an 8-bit computer. But it was released in 1980, and back then just a year or two made for technological leaps and bounds in the home computing market. Compared to the C64 it was underpowered and quickly eclipsed in popularity after the 64's launch, but while it dominated the market for a few years it was a great little computer, and the C64 owes much of its success to the very successful earlier launch of the VIC-20. It was the first home computer to break the 1,000,000 unit sales barrier, after all. The original C64 "breadbox" even shares its case design with the VIC, distinguished only by darker colored plastic and a "64" badge.

If you've followed my blog here for some time you'll know that I generally use the Vice emulator to enjoy C64 programs. Well, in the same package is an "xvic" executable that kicks off the VIC-20 emulation program that works very similarly - and you can follow my emulation how-to guides because there's very little difference in how emulation between the two systems works. From what I've seen around the web there is not as much of an organized rabid fanbase for VIC-20 games as for the C64 (the VIC-20 did not have a great sound chip, and that's at least part of the C64's enduring popularity with the remix and demo scene), but VIC-20 fandom does exist in smaller doses on sites such as Denial.

Real productivity work was difficult given the limitations of a VIC-20 without a memory expansion cartridge. It came from the factory with only 5KB of memory, and 1.5 of that was used for system resources! Typed characters were wide and large on a screen with far lower resolution graphics than a C64. WYSIWYG word processing was only a dream with 22 columns for characters on a screen, but word processing was still possible with programs like SpeedScript.

There were some applications and games, however, that worked well within the limitations of the computer. Text adventures such as the classic "Adventureland" and others by Scott Adams were quite enjoyable in their day, and action games like Omega Race, Tooth Invaders and Pharaoh's Curse made for surprisingly fun, fast-paced gameplay. Compared to an Atari 2600, the VIC-20 games were great and often required an element of thinking beyond "twitch" arcade gaming.

I mention the VIC-20 here because I'm going to do a few reviews and articles related to the VIC-20 over the next few weeks, and I may have a surprise or two.

I highly recommend the fantastic and rather funny 10 minute video review for the VIC-20 below:

C64 Holiday Remix Winner! C64Glen's Spelunker

Robinson Mason — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:12:00 GMT

A couple of months ago I held a Holiday Remixing Contest and offered a prize to the winner. It's been a long time coming, but I'm happy to announce the winner of the contest, Glen McNamee of Middlesbrough , England! Known on the Remix64.com boards as C64GLeN, Glen chose the original SID chiptune from the Broderbund game Spelunker to remix. He was the only entrant this time around, so the prize goes to him for his effort on a great little tune!

You can listen to the original SID tune from the Commodore 64 game (and pick up the game files from the "Latif" link) HERE. Click on the notes near the bottom to play the song in your browser as it sounded on the C64.

Glen's remix of the song can be enjoyed and played directly at his Sound Cloud site. If you like it, be sure to check out his "Crappy Remixes" (haha!) blog for more like it! C64Glen's Crappy c64 Remixes (yes, that's the real name of the blog)

He had these tips on making remixes like the Spelunker in 15 minutes for those of you who might be new to the game and might want to take a stab at the next contest:

"Load SID2MIDI, convert SID to MIDI
Open FLstudio (or similar program), import MIDI.
Change MIDI instruments to closest match in FLstudio
Save MP3, Hey presto, an off-key 15 minute remix!"

He chose the Defender of the Crown Remake as his prize.

C64 Walkabout Podcast #10 - Laser Squad

Robinson Mason — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:33:00 GMT

Never thought I'd make it to my tenth podcast at this site? Well here it is, and I have more "live play / discussion" walkabouts like this planned. Click the "play" button below to listen or download the target and save for future listening. Don't forget to subscribe at iTunes if you haven't done so already!

For more information about Laser Squad and where to get the files to play, please see my previous article on Laser Squad here: C64 Walkabout game spotlight: Laser Squad

For tips on how to download and run a C64 Emulator, go HERE

Enjoy!

C64 Game Fiction #1: Black Crystal

Robinson Mason — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:19:00 GMT

As a new addition to the C64 Walkabout I'll be introducing Commodore 64 game fiction! These are the stories that added flavor to the accompanying programs on disk or tape that might have had very little text or description of such details in the games themselves.

These can be enjoyed stand-alone, or perhaps they'll inspire you to play the games themselves. I'll provide links to where you can find the game files at the end of each "story".

This time up is Mastertronic's Black Crystal, from 1985:

BLACK CRYSTAL

Two to breach the barriers of Evil.

Four to hold them well.

Five together call the sixth.

Six the force of fire to quell.

Sings he now the hero brave.

Seven found.

Fought and won,

Seven shall vanquish,

Seven as one.

A brilliant apparition appears before you it is one of the seven great Lords of Light. He speaks:

“Before creation there existed a single sphere of energy floating in a vast timeless void. Within this sphere developed on intelligence that was alone and without purpose. It set itself a task to forge the ring of creation but in so doing it created on imbalance. The sphere split asunder and the intelligence was parted into two egos, good and evil.

Evil corrupted the ring and used it to give birth to seven angels of darkness. The Lords of Chaos. To lessen the corruption of the great ring the power of light separated into seven rings. To wield the power of the rings seven Lords of Light were born. They took the rings and with them created worlds, and on those worlds were sown the seeds of life. Evil followed creating its own bizarre life forms. On the planer of the first born, the planet Earth, the Lords of Chaos built a fortress named Ny’ Ugol. To men it was known as the Towers of Dread. Within its dark walls evil rook upon a form. It fed on hatred and fear, its shadow growing until it filled the fortress.None could withstand its power and both men and elves were enslaved.

Their task of creation completed. The Lords of Light returned to Earth and there met in battle with the Lords of Chaos. The dark Lords and their evil force were driven back into Ny’Ugol. Together, the Lords of Light removed their rings and hurled them at the fortress.An explosion followed that threw mountains asunder and created a valley that concealed the rings. The Lords of Chaos were banished beyond our universe and for a thousand years peace prevailed upon the Earth.

The valley was named Beroth by the elves. The land was gifted with the most fertile soil on Earth but the memory of Evil was etched into Elfin people’s hearts and none would settle there. Man was less sensitive and Beroth became the richest of his Kingdoms.

It was famous as a place of learning and the council of the wise met regularly in the great hall of Monmouth. Within the royal castle.In their keeping the council held five of the rings of creation The sixth ring. The ring of time, was wedged in solid rock deep within an underground labyrinth. It was found by the leader of the Shaggoths,creatures brought to earth by the Lords of Chaos to fight in the battle of the Angels. He promptly claimed it as his and declared himself King Shaggoth, and holds the labyrinth as his Kingdom to this day. The seventh ring, The Ring of Fire, was worn by Mendos' eighth King of Beroth.

Gora was twelve years of age when the Shadow returned to Beroth. He was apprentice to the Wizard Nemor, supreme councilor of the wise.Gora befriended Prince Tobias, son of Mendos and heir to the throne of Beroth Tobias desired the knowledge that Gora had been taught.

He approached the council and requested entrance to the Brother-hood of Wizards but Nemor looked into his heart and saw that it was filled with a lust for power. Rejected. Tobias turned to Gora for help.

Gora borrowed for him ancient books and manuscripts that held dark secrets which he knew nothing of. But soon Tobias tired of the weak magic that Gora could reach him and he experimented with ancient spells. One evening, as all creation slept an unnatural sleep. He conjured to himself the Fire Demon. It taught him a formula that promised power and knowledge even the wise did not understand Tobias,blinded against the dangers of meddling in the black arts, used the formula. It created for him a small crystal of concentrated evil.Tobias mode sacrifices of small animals to it and the crystal began to grow. Little time passed before the crystal was large enough to influence the Prince’s thoughts and movements Like a puppet. Under the cover of darkness, Tobias crept up to his father s bedside and thrust his dagger deep into the old King’s heart.

The crystal grew. With the crowning of Tobias evil had indirectly gained control over Beroth and the ring of fire. Soon the crystal’s influence was so widespread that it controlled most of the population of the castle.

Foreseeing the danger Nemor summoned Gora to a meeting of the council and presented him with one of the rings of creation. To each of four riders awaiting in the courtyard, Nemor gave also a ring and the instructions to ride in different directions and take the rings from this land. To Gora he bade farewell and departed with the rest of his order.

Tearfully Gora mounted his horse and fled the castle It was a day’s ride to the mountains in The south and once there Gora thought he would be safe but Nemor had not known the rings of creation call to each other and can only be separated by a small distance in the hands of men. None of the rings could leave Beroth without the others.

Gora turned and headed home but the roads to the castle had already become dangerous. Armies of Trolls patrolled the roads killing and eating unwary travelers. Gora was forced to turn east to dispose of his ring in the swamp. The fate of the other riders was never known but one thing was sure, none of the rings ever left the valley.

The ring of fire was presented to the Fire Demon by Tobias and a Temple built in his honor. A great tower was built to house the Black Crystal and through the centuries it grew in strength. Prince Tobias and his followers lost their mortal bodies but their shadows still inhabit The castle and haunt the cursed land.

After leaving Beroth, Gora moved North to the palace of the Wizard of the of the ice mountain. There he completed his Training and set upon a quest to find a weakness in the Black Crystal of evil. For five centuries he shrugged off age and wondered dark pathways seldom trod by mortal men.

Finally his travels rook him to the Citadels of Mars where engraved in runes on a diamond wall he found the tale of Creation and the War of Angels He also found that which I Tell you now and I bid you pay heed to what I say.

The rings of creation when placed in precise location around the force of evil will banish it from our universe. Gora awaits you, go now.”

Black Crystal Game File ("Latif" link after the jump)

Game Play Instructions / Manual

Holiday Remixing Contest!

Robinson Mason — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:41:00 GMT

Hello again fellow Commodore 64 fans. I figured to get into the holiday spirit I might try to add to the holiday spirit by having a little contest here and offering a gift to the winner.

Perhaps I'll even give away multiple prizes if the entries are good enough!

The rules: Let me know in the comments here that you're going to give it a go. Then make a remix of one of the songs (SID tracks) listed below, and upload to Remix.Kwed.Org. The rules for uploading can be found HERE. The remixer who gets the best rating for his/her remix in its first week (7 days) at RKO will be able to choose from one of the games listed here (they allow "gifting" of downloads, so no hassles with shipping, etc. - should be good for anyone who can provide me with an E-mail address):

The prizes (choose 1):
Defender of the Crown
Empires and Dungeons
Gold Miner Vegas

You might notice an old school C64 theme there with the games. It's intentional!

If you have a Mac, Westward III: Gold Rush can be substituted.

Tentatively the deadline is January 1st, 2010, but if you have a work in progress to share I may extend the deadline, depending on how many entries there are. If there are no entries (*sniffle*) then by 1/1/10 I'll call it off.

If you want to polish your song up a bit or are not confident in uploading to RKO yet by the deadline, then you can submit the song to...me! And I'll judge the winner. But ultimately I'd prefer it go up on RKO for all to enjoy.

Most of the SID tunes can be found already converted into MIDI format HERE - see my previous post SID 2 MIDI - And a little present for the holidays

To find the original SIDs, use SID Find.

The tunes (subtune 1 unless otherwise noted):

Adventure Construction Set, Subtunes 1 and/or 2.
Below the Root
Mail Order Monsters, Subtunes 1 and 2
Realm of Impossibility
Spelunker
Winter Holidays (just threw this one in for the season!)

I chose these SIDs mainly because they have not been remixed to death (or at all), and a few are from pretty well known games.

If you prefer, you can also use one of the listed SID subtunes from the following previous C64 Walkabout Podcast episodes here:

C64Walkabout Podcast #4 - Popular Game SIDs that Cry Out for Remixing

C64 Walkabout Podcast #9 - Pure SID Tunes

Just please make sure it's not something you've already done and submitted to RKO - only new remixes please (a "version 2" is acceptable though).

Happy Remixing! The winner (or any entries for that matter) will be featured prominently in an upcoming podcast, given your written consent, of course.

SID 2 MIDI - And a little present for the holidays

Robinson Mason — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:45:00 GMT

I recently discovered SID2MIDI , the GUI version, up on the Remix64 forums. It's a great little tool that takes SID songs and converts them to MIDI format.

While the SIDs of course sound better in their natural 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, or using as a basis for remixing. Years ago I used some tool that shipped with a Sound Blaster to make actual sheet music from the Ultima III - Wander tune, subtune 1 that someone had composed as a MIDI -- pretty sure that was pre SID2MIDI and manually composed by an Ultima fan as it was in the early 1990's. Now I can do that for nearly any SID that I like!

A present for a family member this year is going to be Yamaha YPT-220, a keyboard capable of MIDI playback...and I look forward to hearing some C64 tunes come out of it!

I used the tool to make several MIDI versions of some of my favorite SID tunes. You can download the file (compressed with WinRAR) here on my account at the file sharing site Media Fire:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/01b3quoztwt/C64MIDI.rar

SID2MIDI works best when the melody is simple and does not involve a lot of oscillating or otherwise uniquely SID-ish sounds. I've found it to be extremely accurate on most of the songs I selected, though the "walking" sound in M.U.L.E., for example is clearly missing. As an example of a little SID-ish strangeness, I included Winter Holiday by Matthais Hartung, a tune from my last podcast, converted to MIDI. It could be cleaned up of course, and the foundation for a good remix is stiil there. Some other SIDs like Ben Daglish's Switchblade were 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 soundcard that is MIDI capable, which should be standard.

C64 Walkabout Podcast #9 - Pure SID Tunes

Robinson Mason — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:32:00 GMT

Welcome again to the C64 Walkabout podcast! This time I'm making it all about the SIDs. That is, music composed on the Commodore 64 computer in the .sid format available on the HVSC and played using an application called XM Play with the SID plugin and some added reverb.

The songs include a mix of stand alone tunes and SID tracks from games. I tried to break up the feel between songs to add variety. I've been listening to the HVSC quite a bit recently and the songs on this podcast are just a few I've added to my playlist.

Press play below or click to download:

Tracks:

Winter Holiday - Matthias Hartung
Crystal Cave - Magic Disk 64/CP-Verlag
Angels for Wolfen - Alain Hertenstein (Iron Cat)
Dark Space - Ari Yliaho (Agemixer)
Super Huey - Paul Norman
Avengers - Alain Hertenstein (Iron Cat)
Kangarudy (tracks 2,3) - Albin Oswald
Temple of Apshai Trilogy (tracks 1,2) - Epyx
Time Puzzle - Ralf Kober
Karateka (1,2,13) - Francis Mechner
Dawn of Time - Siegfried Rudzynski (Crome)
Tass Times in Tonetown (track 9) - Dave Warhol & Russell Lieblich
Easy - Bekir Ogurlu (Slowhand)
Sword of Honour (track 2) - John Carehag

Commodore 64 Style Pixeling, the Lite Brite Flat Screen, and Transformers?

Robinson Mason — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:42:00 GMT

I fondly remember using EA's Adventure Construction Set to build custom character tiles within the small number of pixels allowed in each. It forced a certain type of creativity that is no longer needed with modern PC games. To be certain, the Commodore 64 was not the only platform that forced game creators and artists to find ways to make convincing "pixel art". And unlike some of those, like the Atari 2600 or Intellivision, C64 based pixel art advanced by leaps and bounds over the decade plus that it thrived in the marketplace, and when it came to "demos", artists were capable of making almost photo-realistic images.

Early C64 pixel art and art for C64 games had a unique flavor, though, and I often wondered if there were some "rules" that C64 artists followed. In the image above from Knight Games, for example, a man is holding a bow with a quiver on his hip. An arrangement of no more than 6 simple beige dots make up his face, and strategically placed dots in his hair give it the appearance of being long and unkempt or wavy. Note the all-white bow, a color choice based no doubt on the fact that a brown bow would not stand out or contrast well against the character.

I doubt many young people today will spend the hours I did on the original C64 in their emulators trying to make something convincing out of a grid of less than 100 pixels in height or width given a limited color template. However, a new toy in my own home did remind me quite a bit of those days - my daughter's new Lite Brite Flat Screen. I decided to give it a try and buy it for her despite some borderline negative reviews out there that are generally unfair to the product like "my kid leaves the pegs all over the house!" (hey, my 4 year old knows how to keep them in the tray, people), and was pleasantly surprised.

My own review result for the new Lite Brite product here? My daughter loves it and it seems sturdy enough. The use of 3 "D" batteries is a bit unusual - I prefer rechargeable AA's and Lite Brites of the past were plug-in, but it does make the Lite Brite portable and bright. And having "D" batteries around the house is good in a storm, I guess. Every time my daughter finishes a picture she brings it to us rather than screaming for us to come into some other part of the home to see her art. Thumbs up on that!

Lite Brite art works on a very similar concept of pegs in place of pixels, but instead of being limited by tile size (though there is limited space) the limitation of the templates included is by the number of certain colors of pegs included with the toy. This leads to some equally creative and interesting color choices in the templates.

If you miss C64 style pixel art, you might pick up the ~10 dollar Lite Brite Flat Screen for a kid you know this Christmas. Perhaps you can even do a little C64 logo, a Bruce Lee, or a Giana Sister with it for kicks. If you want to get serious and use a lot of one color to achieve a more authentic C64 pixel art look, though, you'll need to break out of the limitations of what comes with the Lite Brite kit and spring for an extra peg and template kit like the inexpensive Transformers Picture Refill + Bonus Pegs - though even then there are complaints that there aren't enough of one color. My daughter will often substitute one color for another, though - like the green for yellow - leave it to a 4-year old to figure it out!

Getting Serious with GEOS

Robinson Mason — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:25:00 GMT

It is probably safe to assume that those who never owned a Commodore 64 look back on it as either a game machine, a music maker, a crude programming tool, or some mixture of those things. The C64 had its share of productivity, business and art tools, however, and one major platform for more "serious" C64 owners was GEOS, the Graphic Environment Operating System from Berkeley Softworks, released in 1986.

Prior to GEOS there was a Commodore cartridge called "Magic Desk" that was a rather crude but serviceable attempt at an all-around productivity suite GUI that resembled a real office with a desk, typewriter, filing cabinets and more. Prior to owning GEOS, I used Magic Desk for typing documents, but it was hardly the sort of snappy text entry we take for granted today.

Instead of the almost comical 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.

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.

I fondly recall perhaps the best feature of GEOS, which was the WYSIWYG word processor "geoWrite". Up until geoWrite, typing on the C64 and producing decently formatted rows of readable text was a chore. I was a bit shocked when years later I found an expensive Fujitsu FM-Towns word processor ("Word Star"?) that was actually not WYSIWYG!

I also recall one of my teachers marking my documents full of red text because the printer I used with my C64 was a dot matrix type that did not have descending lines in "y" characters --- the educator docked me points for the way the printer displayed characters! So much for being on the cutting edge of home computer use, apparently I was supposed to use a typewriter, or perhaps an expensive Apple printer that GEOS actually did support.

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 essential driver support for popular devices, color, resizable windows, etc.).

GEOS is not lost and forgotten and can be downloaded and even bought today. It is likely that the GEOS users of today 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.

One more novel use of GEOS is on the Nintendo DS. Watch the video below and I think you'll agree that GEOS may have found its niche (and a reason to survive) on handheld devices like this.

To read more about GEOS, check out the GEOS FAQ.

To download GEOS and try it out, go HERE.

The Burrowing of Fort Nadus Audio Book with C64Audio.com and Amok Background Music, Conclusion

Robinson Mason — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:59:00 GMT

This is it, the conclusion of my much-downloaded audio book-style podcast here at the 'Walkabout. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment below, and I may do more in the future, perhaps with the permission of other remixers in the C64 community to add background music.

This time in addition to C64Audio.com music tracks from the last two parts, Andreas "Amok" Janke has given permission to use some of his excellent remixes as background music in this podcast. I've used his tracks Spellbound (two remixes) and Star Paws. You can download them here at Remix.Kwed.Org (Amok). Also check out Amok's World of Sound HERE.

The spoken word on the track is from the story "The Burrowing of Fort Nadus". If there are parts you have difficulty hearing, or if you want to learn more about the World of Hadanus, go HERE.

Again, thanks to Chris Abbott for allowing the use of music tracks from C64Audio.com, from album Back in Time 2 as a "soundtrack" for the spoken track.

To listen to part 3 (the conclusion) of the audio, click the "play" icon below:

Quick Strategy: Quadpawn

Robinson Mason — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:46:00 GMT

It's been a while since I introduced something quick and casual, so today's C64 program will be just that sort of game.

Quadpawn by David M. Moorman from Loadstar/Softdisk Publishing, Inc. is a simple strategy game that uses a 4x4 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 just like chess for pawns. Your basic move is a forward move. However, if an enemy pawn is diagonally one square forward and to the left or right., then 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.

If you think the AI is too easy (even if you use "remember what I know?"), 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!

If you've watched many Monty Python movies, you'll catch the reference in the name of the enemy pawns.

To DOWNLOAD the file for Quadpawn go HERE.

If you are new to Commodore 64 Emulation follow my tutorial here: Step by Step - How to Play Commodore 64 Games on a PC

Enjoy!

Other Emulation: A Fujitsu FM-Towns How-to

Robinson Mason — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:48:00 GMT

As I mentioned in an earlier post Ultima Fan? A Better Way to Play Ultimas 5 and 6, while living in Japan during the 1990's I owned few models of the Fujitsu FM-Towns, a very advanced proprietary Japan-market only PC that was capable of booting its Windows-style OS or games off of a CD-ROM with no hard drive from as early as 1989, long before Windows was even capable of booting from a CD just to install the OS.

I became a big fan of the FM-Towns computers and software after owning them and wish I still had one of those rugged, well-built PCs today. Thankfully emulation makes it possible to enjoy the FM-Towns almost 20 years later!

Because the CD-ROM was standard in every FM-Towns, the majority of games or other programs made use of the multimedia capabilities such as video or CDDA music tracks. While typical Western PC-based games were still being installed or run from floppy disks, the FM-Towns enhanced versions of American games such as Dungeon Master filled the CD up with music tracks. Even the Japanese equivalent of the PC, the long dominant NEC PC-9801, was limited to floppy disks for games while the FM-Towns multimedia rich games soared. Ultimately the niche status of the Fujitsu computer did it in, but only after many years of valiantly fighting the competition. Ironically it was not its largest competitor, the NEC PC-9801, but rather low-cost PC clones that contributed to ending the run of the unique FM-Towns computer and operating system (as well as the NEC proprietary computer series).

In those years while the FM-Towns still reigned supreme as an advanced line of unique PCs, many great games were made for it. Getting your hands on many of the original CDs outside of Japan is nearly impossible and cost prohibitive. Finding the ISO files for the CDs is not nearly as tough, but still takes a little looking.

I am not very concerned about the legality of sharing CD images from long abandoned, obscure games that can date back as far as 1989. If you believe in the concept of "abandonware", most FM-Towns CD images (90%?) would fall under that classification. The fact that the FM-Towns was a niche computer limited to sales in Japan make the software so rare that file sharing by collectors is the only way to preserve these games long term for others to enjoy. If you are concerned with the legality of sharing certain FM-Towns images, stay away from big name games that have been re-released or clearly are being sold or offered somewhere. The Lucasarts games might be ones to avoid, for example.

Here's a quick FM Towns emulation "walkthru"of how to get your hands on ISOs and a working Emulator with the BIOS files.

1. This is only one option for obtaining game files, but google "pleasuredome uk roms" --- this is a ratio torrent download site, which means you need to know how to download torrents, and that your seeding must equal or exceed your leeching of files. This is where you can find a massive 70+ Gigabyte archive of the FM-Towns CD-ROMs. Why so large? Like I wrote, these games included full "redbook" style CDDA audio, and to preserve the original ISOs meant keeping the large music files intact on full CD images. To avoid getting banned from a ratio site, you may need to start with small files, or only portions of large torrents. I suggest selecting "none" and choosing only a couple of FM-Towns ISOs to download first, and you may even be required to "seed" a smaller torrent to build your ratio first.

2. Download the "UNZ FM-Towns Emulator" HERE. Unzip it and place the folder someplace obvious, like your desktop.

3. Download the FM Towns BIOS drop the contents into the Unz emulator folder you just unzipped.

You may also want to download this FM Towns Help Document (Word Format)

4. Download DAEMON Tools Lite if you do not already have it. This software allows you to read CD ISO images as a virtual CD drive without burning physical CDs. Basically it will let you take the images of FM-Towns CD-ROMs and read them for use with Unz.

5. Run Unz. If you are running Windows XP or Vista, set your CD settings up like this, choosing the drive letter of your virtual drive in Daemon Tools (you can check by right clicking the Daemon Tools icon in your systray):

6. Create a typical "Save" floppy disk image by clicking Drive 0, Insert. Type a new filename to create a new disk image. Say "yes" to create the disk. Choose a 1.2MB floppy. Some games will not recognize a 1.44MB floppy!

You are now ready to run most typical FM-Towns games! Go to Pleasuredome UK or some other similar retro game site and find the ISO images for old FM-Towns games, mount the ISO of the game you want to play using Daemon Tools, and run or reset Unz. It will boot the games off of CD as if you had the real thing in front of you.

Or if you can read Japanese like me, there are many obscure and forgotten game titles that are a wonder to re-discover.

Next time I'll introduce an actual FM-Towns game based on the stories of H.P. Lovecraft called Necronomicon...

The Burrowing of Fort Nadus Audio Book with C64Audio.com Background Music, Part 2

Robinson Mason — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:21:00 GMT

I'm happy to report that the first part of my original fiction "audio book" and c64 remix background music hybrid podcast has nearly hit 500 downloads in just a few weeks!

Due to its popularity I made sure not to wait too long before releasing part 2. To be honest I thought I'd be able to wrap it up in 2 parts, but it looks like it will be at least one more audio podcast before I can conclude the short story.

As to the spoken word on the track, it is from the story "The Burrowing of Fort Nadus". If you don't want to wait for the third part of this series of podcasts or want to check out more of my fiction, you can read the conclusion HERE. (start with Part 4 as this podcast contains Part 3)

Again, thanks to Chris Abbott for allowing the use of music tracks from C64Audio.com, from album Back in Time 2 as a "soundtrack" for the spoken track.

To listen to part 2 of the audio, click the "play" icon below:

Back When the Coolest Thing in Store...Was a Commodore 64!

Robinson Mason — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Just a little video fun today at the 'Walkabout thanks to a tip from C64 Remixer Infamous.

A new tune from the European pop band Aqua, "Back to the '80's" features the Commodore 64 prominently in its lyrics before the 1 minute mark! You can see an original "breadbox" model C64 pass over the singer's head in the upper right of the video at 50 seconds in (at least on the embedded version here).

LINK - or click below to play the embedded video:

MSSIAH Now Available for the C64

Robinson Mason — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:05:00 GMT

The Prophet 64, a popular C64 cartridge for retro musicians was discontinued some time back in preparation for release of an improved product called MSSIAH.

Per the old site:

The Prophet64 is a hardwarecartridge for the Commodore 64 with four music applications. TheProphet64 Sequencer, Mono Synthesizer, Bassline and Drummer can all besynchronized with external SYNC24 signals. It cannot respond to MIDImessages nor does it contain a MIDI interface. The Prophet64 has beendiscontinued and is now replaced with the fully MIDI compatible MSSIAH Cartridge

The MSSIAH Cartridge has a MIDI cable port where the Prophet 64 had none.

Per the new site (www.prophet64.com):

The MSSIAH is a MIDI cartridge for the Commodore 64. It contains a suite of music applications that starts instantly as you insert the cartridge and start up the computer. With these applications you can play the C64's audio circuit (SID) via MIDI or stand-alone with the internal sequencers.

MSSIAH is short for MIDI SID Software Integrated Applications andHardware and means that the cartridge contains both software andhardware to midify the C64. Since they are integrated you won't needhard-to-get MIDI peripherals to hook it up to your synthesizer orsequencer. Just plug in a MIDI cable and off you go!

Price: 49.95 EUR

One thing that excites me is the potential for musicians to take SID songs like these and convert them into MIDI - where I know they could then be converted into sheet music. In fact I'm highly tempted to buy one for myself and breathe new life into my old C64 if only for that reason!

To give an idea of what the Prophet 64 could accomplish on a decades old Commodore 64 with no extra hardware, here's a video - give it a good listen, I think you'll like it -- and that's without the possibilities the MIDI cable on the MSSIAH can provide!

Click image to watch/hear music (YouTube):

Original Fiction Audio with C64Audio.com Background Music!

Robinson Mason — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:19:00 GMT

For those who don't know, I also write fiction at the World of Hadanus blog, where I post it in web serial format.

Recently I asked the guys at the Commodore 64 Remix Forum if anyone would be interested in providing music for an audio version of one of the stories I had completed.

Many thanks go out to Chris Abbott for allowing the use of tracks from C64Audio.com!

Specifically, these tracks (remixes of songs from well-known Commodore 64 games) were used in the background of the audio book, all but one from the album Back in Time 2:

Scarabaeus - Darren Izzard w/ Chris Abbott
Terra Cresta - Jogeir Liljedahl
Aztec Challenge - Peter Connelly
Terra Cresta - Jogeir Liljedahl
Thalamusik 2000 - Chris Abbott
RMC2 - Chris Abbott
Forbidden Forest - Peter Connelly

You can find these tracks and more great music at C64Audio.com

Now, as to the spoken word on the track, it is from the story "The Burrowing of Fort Nadus". If you don't want to wait for the second part of my podcast or want to read more of my fiction, you can read the conclusion HERE.

Despite not having any Commodore 64 related discussion this time around, I hope you enjoy both the fiction and the C64 inspired background music! Click play below to listen to the podcast.

Help the C64 Walkabout by Following on Facebook!

Robinson Mason — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:46:00 GMT

If you're on Facebook, please help a Commodore 64 blogger out, and confirm me as the author at Networked Blogs. Your assistance is highly appreciated -- more activity for this blog is always a good thing -- Click the "Follow my Blog" link in the box below, please!

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It's Strange, Deep and Satisfying Below the Root

Robinson Mason — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:21:00 GMT

Every once and a while I'll come across a form of entertainment that evokes an emotional response that might not have been intended. In the case of Below the Root, for me, as a 13 year-old boy, it was a "creepiness" factor. This was "interactive fiction" in the true sense, a Commodore 64 game with very little violence encouraged or allowed that somehow still managed to keep me on edge and and set my imagination on fire with possibilities for what danger lay in wait on the next screen. Perhaps it had to do with the black background or the fact that your character could be kidnapped by one of the two factions in the game and thrown in one of the prisons. Some elements of this creepiness and tension would likely not remain if this were to be remade as a modern game, and that makes it a perfect candidate for enjoyment through emulation.

The source material, pulled from a series of stories that were a blend of Science Fiction with a touch of Fantasy (even though at first glance it might seem like pure Fantasy), made it unlike any other game I'd played. It was based on Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Green Sky Trilogy, published in the late 1970s, and unlike many other games based on source material, this game was taken quite seriously as an extension of her world by the author.

From wikipedia:

"The game is a direct sequel to the books, and is meant by the author to be taken as canon. It originated in Snyder's realization that one of her final plot elements had been a huge mistake. She was being flooded with mail, but could not see any way to change the ending nowt hat the book was on the market. In addition, she had believed the event she described to be necessary to the ultimate resolution of the plot. Introduced to the concept of computer games, Snyder saw a way to redeem the situation while keeping and even advancing the original plot. The object of the game is to solve the mystery of what really happened."

This whole concept of fusing games with fiction was very appealing to me as a young teen, and it's funny in retrospect how few games now more than 20 years later have crossed over and how games have not been taken seriously as a story-telling medium by authors of the traditional printed book format. One exception to this is Malinche Entertainment's text adventure games that are also available as e-books. Generally, however, when there is source material involved, a game is either a reflection of that story, or an unofficial spin-off, not recognized by fans of the printed work.

I write fiction at the World of Hadanus blog, and if nothing else, I think Snyder's Below the Root had some impact on the fictional world named Hadanus I first imagined over 20 years ago that is the basis for much of my writing, by providing an example of a Fantasy-feel world with very little in the way of magic. From what I've seen since

of other book series like Dragonriders of Pern, this blending of Fantasy elements in Science Fiction is not a unique approach, but it was one I was unfamiliar with as a teen. Early concepts I had of how one of the races, the Dwaranir, lived in their forest home might also have been influenced by the treetop lives of the Kindar.

Little did I know, having never read the Green Sky Trilogy, just how similar some basic premises of the source material actually were, and why magic and some typical Fantasy elements were missing:

"The wars were coming more frequently now, and the group of scientists knew that the children would not longer be safe. There could not be a solution to the violence and conflict that had consumed the others on their planet, so quickly they stole away into space, to a new world, as the old one breathed its last; the scientists and children had made it to Green-Sky." source

I just read that early this morning while researching Below the Root for this blog post, and was a bit shocked. The basic concept of life arriving on Hadanus in my fiction is much the same.

Of course that is where most of the similarities end, and the stories I've introduced so far to web readers have no mention of a history of scientists and technology (a novel I've yet to release, however, goes into detail on this aspect). Hadanus has no people with spiritual, psychic powers (or any kind of magic for that matter), and most of the races look far less human than those in the Green Sky Trilogy. The feel of Green Sky is also much softer, with a Utopian flair and far less open, violent conflict. In short, Green Sky is more "kid friendly" than my fiction, and has children as main characters, something I'm probably going to avoid.

Technically the game was a superior effort for the time and not derivative of any one particular genre, and I think it still holds up well today as something you can enjoy in a C64 Emulator while multitasking on your computer. The interface is relatively easy to figure out, and is joystick driven (though you can use your keyboard by changing your Joystick Settings in VICE to Numpad + R Ctrl).

To access many of the commands in the game, move down while hitting your "fire" button, or the right control key, however your joystick is set up. 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. There is a true sense of free exploration in the game, and while you can get yourself into some trouble (don't kill any people!), most times you simply end up back home after waking up from unconsciousness.

One of the hurdles to enjoyment would be jumping into it without the benefit of reading the manual or understanding the source material. No doubt some small part of my reaction to the game was based on not knowing the full story since, if memory serves, a friend loaned me his copy without the any of the other documents that came in the box. Still, I was able to find much to enjoy, but I think my enjoyment would have been enhanced by knowing what the heck I was supposed to be doing!

Thanks to the wonder of niche entertainment on the internet (of which this Walkabout blog is a willing participant), there is a site dedicated to Below the Root and the Green Sky Trilogy. It includes helpful walkthroughs with screenshots, s well as ample backstory information. Please head on over and check it out HERE.

To DOWNLOAD the game file for play, go HERE. (Use the "Latif" link in the lower right)

If you are new to Commodore 64 Emulation follow my tutorial here: Step by Step - How to Play Commodore 64 Games on a PC

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 pair of floppies. It's not a big deal, just "attach" the second disk image (BELOWTR1.D64) when prompted, but read more about that here if you need to: C64 Emulation: Floppy Disk Images and How to Use Them

If you want to speed up the initial load time, just use "Warp Mode" in your emulator until you get to the title screen.

Enjoy, and if you're interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy check out my online stories free for reading over at the World of Hadanus blog!

Flash, Java and Downloadable Games vs. Commodore 64 Emulation

Robinson Mason — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:58:00 GMT

Unless this is site is to cater purely to nostalgic C64 enthusiasts, I think it's worth looking at the differences between Flash, Java and otherwise browser-based or inexpensive or even free downloadable games and pointing out where Commodore 64 emulation shines. It also will help explain why I don't review as many simple action games here at the 'Walkabout.

What I'll classify generally as "Flash Games" are games that you pull up and can quickly play in your browser. This includes Facebook-linked Games like Castle Age or Mafia Wars, even though they have little to no animation.

So why play games with inferior graphics from 20+ years ago in an application that you need to kick off separate from your browser (VICE)? Some of the reasons were covered in a post from last year: Ten Reasons to Play C64 Games on a Modern Computer. But the reasons given there are more general. Specifically, why play Phantasie in your emulator and not Castle Age in your browser?

The depth of browser-based games is usually limited - or in the case of Mafia Wars style games, graphics are only static and sounds are non-existent. When they are full of sound and moving graphics, they tend to be simple action games with one or only a couple of screens of fun to be had, tops. If the game can be played on a single screen or you can see all there is to see in a flash game in a few minutes, then there are many Commodore 64 games that can offer a superior gameplay experience.

That, and many browser-based Facebook-style games have intentional gameplay lag that forces you to play for only a couple of minutes before waiting 6 hours for your "energy" to be restored. There are no such limitations on a C64 game that can be as deep and deeper of a gameplay experience while nicely sitting in a background window on your desktop.

C64 games often make good use of the keyboard, and that can be a welcome relief from wrist-wrecking clickfest of mouse-driven gaming.

Some top suggestions that are well designed for pushing into the background while you attend to other tasks:

Laser Squad
Phantasie I & II
The Lurking Horror or Enchanter
Lords of Conquest
Boulder Dash Mania (and other Boulderdash clones)
Below the Root
Dizzy

Follow the links to read more about those games and how to play them.

This is not to say that Commodore 64 emulation is superior to the casual experience of Flash games. In many cases it is NOT. Examples of games that would probably be better with modern flash graphics can be found here: Play C64 Games as Easily as Opening a Web Page!

There are even a few inexpensive, downloadable games like Gold Miner Joe (screenshot below) that are clearly influenced by old games from the Commodore 64 and other old home computers like Spelunker and Miner 2049'er, and playing Gold Miner Joe beats the pants off of most similar miner type games of yore.

In general, however, browser-based casual gaming has a long way to go before it can replace all of the reasons that I still enjoy C64 emulation, nostalgia aside.

Give one of the games in the above links a try, and see what you think!

Ultima IV "Part 2" - an Ultima Parody

Robinson Mason — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:07:00 GMT

Recently I posted about ACK, an adventure creation tool for multiple operating systems that draws inspiration from the old Adventure Construction Set. Well, the Ultima 4 parody has its own website, and is a lot more fun than I'd expected, so I thought I'd give it a mention here at the Walkabout.

Head over to the site HEREand check it out - if you've ever played the earlier Ultimas, you'll find plenty of fun references, not to mention that playing the game is much easier due to the nice sidebar with a reminder of those Ultima keyboard commands you probably forgot back in the 80's.

Once you've downloaded and unzipped ACK, place the U4 parody zip folder in its entirety into the GAMES sub folder under the ACK folder. (Adventure Creation Kit --> ACK ---> GAMES) Then kick off the ACK Launcher, and you'll see the Ultima 4 parody right there in the choice of games to play under the "Select Adventure" button.

Some of the commands just expect a certain level of 80's Ultima RPG knowledge. So if you're new to the old Ultima games, you might want to start off with one of the old originals to get the general idea of how things work, or to fully appreciate all of the references to the other Ultimas. You can find them all at GB64.com HERE. Follow my C64 Emulation Tutorials if you are new to Commodore 64 emulation.

In the old Ultimas you usually chose a command like "T" for Talk, then chose a direction to talk to someone in an adjacent square. This parody version seems to mix commands from the Ultimas a bit, as well as adding interactive text screens that use images from Ultima 6, for example (see screenshot below). Want to quit your conversations? Type BYE (or a highlighted keyword to talk more). Make sure to use "GET" commands for the things on the floor in the room close to where you arrive when the game starts and "LOOK" at the book off in a room by itself. Some doors can't be bypassed, and others are a simple matter of walking through. I recall this being different (with a needed "open" command), but it's been a long time!

I also noticed that the way to access the yellow chests in one of the other rooms is to first Look at them, then Get the contents. Same goes for the chest of drawers blocking a door to the south. Like many games of the 80's, a little playing around is a must to get the hang of the commands.

From the wacky intro that incorporates art and parodies of characters from several Ultimas to the improved background music with realistic instruments, if you're an Ultima fan you'll enjoy the good-natured ribbing and flood of inside references to the old games.

So I dare thee, take 2 minutes to download ACK and the U4 Parody, and have some nostalgic fun!

A warning: the game includes a bit of crude and adult humor if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.