Happy 2025 to you too. I got into Retro computers, to better understand CPU architecture. Doing so enabled me to realize a dream I had since I was a boy... To create a Cartridge game for the C64.
I heartily suggest you build your own computer. It’s a lot of fun and not much more involved then your cartridge project really: processor, ROM, SRAM and a UART. With a few 74 series chips for glue. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 😊
@ I have been fairly deeply involved in the Commander X16 project, but for my own, I actually do build my own computers, starting with building my own CPUs.
@@jimmydansbo7847 oh awesome. What’s your approach? FPGA or 74 logic? I’ve built a couple of processor designs on FPGA myself. Have done the “comp on breadboard” journey too, starting a decade ago with a 6809 and a few chips and ending with a 68030 running Linux. It’s been a load of fun.
@@lawrencemanning So far it has been 74 logic, but I have thought about starting with FPGA simply because it would be so much easier (if I ever learned to program it ;-) )
@@jimmydansbo7847 it certainly saves a load of time and sore fingers. My limit is 6 or 7 slabs, but a working processor surely takes dozens? Give VHDL or Verilog a look. If you have a reasonable understanding of digital logic, and you must have to have built a processor, you’ll be able to pick up either. And of course there is an important distinction; you are not programming FPGAs any more then placing wires in your 74 breadboards is programming. It’s closer to writing pre JavaScript HTML than traditional programming.
Happy new year!! Great to see you in the basement again. I used to get so frustrated with those pits. Everybody talks about the video game crash now, but back then I had no idea there was a crash. I happily played my 2600 until I was able to get a C64.
I mean it was only in the United States there was a crash, not so much the rest of the world, especially here in the UK, where most people had 8-bit computers to play games on rather than consoles (other than Arcade cabinets). I mean the first relatively successful console in the UK was the NES, and that didn't get released here until 1987.
You're right, it was only in the US that there was a crash in the early 80s. In the UK and Ireland we hardly (well, we didn't in fact at all) noticed. The UK had a huge game development team made up of school kids that coded in their bedrooms in their free time and for the most part did it for fun (money was welcome but not expected in many cases) so the market for the likes of the Spectrum and the C64 had no shortage of software in the UK. In contrast the US was a market where game development was (as I understand it) mostly for cartridge based consoles, which needed finances and resources to develop for. Which meant that there was no pool of cheap software development resources to draw on.
I like ET for the 2600 a lot. I found an article a couple of years back that explained how to edit the ROM to improve the game (including improving the falling in pits bug) and make it more confortable to play along with a few aesthetic improvements. It makes the game a little better but to be honest even in its original form I find the game fun and it gives you a great feeling if you manage to finish it. Happy New year to you too Tron hope you had great end of year celebrations ;)
Don't expect too much from the Spectrum version. It's a nice little game sure, but it has it's flaws. I found it intriguing that a game that people love to hate these days was given the time and effort it took to convert by a guy in his bedroom back when it was released. I figure that it was a lot more loved back then than they say. Happy New Year Ken.
I think that it's not very well known at all to be honest, I just thought that it was fascinating that a game that everyone loves to hate so much now, was loved enough back when it was released for someone to take the time to convert it to the Specky, pits and all. A fun game, despite it's flaws. Happy New Year to you Josip, hope you had great end of year celebrations with your friends and family ;)
I also enjoyed the 2600 version. Haven't read Warshaw's book yet, but been meaning to... Your thoughts at the end regarding nostalgia remind me of an excellent episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE called "Walking Distance," in which a man time-travels back to his youth and realizes there is only room in the past for one version of himself... and it's not his adult self. Happy New Year...!
Yeah, I only played it for the first time 3 or 4 years ago and I found it enjoyable (I can see how a young child would have been disappointed with it though). The whole myth and legend around it is great though and Warshaw's book fleshes it out a little (in fact the first few chapters of the audio book are available on youtube if you want a flavour of the book). As regards my thoughts, take em' or leave em', it seems that a lot of people don't agree with me :) I have however found that episode of the Twilight Zone you spoke of online and I look forward to watching it this coming weekend. Take care ;)
(" Save the 8bit Computers... and "Aliens"! ) Interesting, this BASIC port for ZX:). And then no, this game is not the worst game and did not cause the crack of 83... (for nostalgia, sometimes we can say that it was not necessarily worse before, though...) Alternative truth: no game has ever been buried in New Mexico... (not even a Breakout ? ) And a Happy New Year :D
Bonne année à toi aussi, jamais compris la haine qu'a engendré ET, il n'est pas parfait, mais pas non plus catastrophique pour l'époque, la version ZX en basic à l'air vraiment sympa.
ET sur la Atari 2600 est un jeu amusant, il a ses défauts mais il est fun et satisfaisant si tu arriverais à le terminer. J'ai trouvé intéressant que quelqu'un ait pris le temps de le porter sur le Specky. Bonne année TOMO5
Can't really disagree there. But the thing I've heard about ET was that it wasn't obvious what you had to do to complete the game, you had to read the manual to understand how to win at it (and to compound this problem part of the target market was young kids). Games like Space invaders, River Raid and many others including Custer's revenge had obvious goals and were just pick up and play. Add to this the fact that Atari paid upwards of 20 million for the rights to ET (at least I think the price was that high) and you've got your worst game ever. Honestly, ET is flawed but it is fun to play and is a great feeling if you actually manage to finish it. Happy New Year to you and take care ;)
Happy 2025 to you too. I got into Retro computers, to better understand CPU architecture. Doing so enabled me to realize a dream I had since I was a boy... To create a Cartridge game for the C64.
I heartily suggest you build your own computer. It’s a lot of fun and not much more involved then your cartridge project really: processor, ROM, SRAM and a UART. With a few 74 series chips for glue. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 😊
@ I have been fairly deeply involved in the Commander X16 project, but for my own, I actually do build my own computers, starting with building my own CPUs.
@@jimmydansbo7847 oh awesome. What’s your approach? FPGA or 74 logic? I’ve built a couple of processor designs on FPGA myself. Have done the “comp on breadboard” journey too, starting a decade ago with a 6809 and a few chips and ending with a 68030 running Linux. It’s been a load of fun.
@@lawrencemanning So far it has been 74 logic, but I have thought about starting with FPGA simply because it would be so much easier (if I ever learned to program it ;-) )
@@jimmydansbo7847 it certainly saves a load of time and sore fingers. My limit is 6 or 7 slabs, but a working processor surely takes dozens? Give VHDL or Verilog a look. If you have a reasonable understanding of digital logic, and you must have to have built a processor, you’ll be able to pick up either. And of course there is an important distinction; you are not programming FPGAs any more then placing wires in your 74 breadboards is programming. It’s closer to writing pre JavaScript HTML than traditional programming.
Happy new year!! Great to see you in the basement again. I used to get so frustrated with those pits. Everybody talks about the video game crash now, but back then I had no idea there was a crash. I happily played my 2600 until I was able to get a C64.
I mean it was only in the United States there was a crash, not so much the rest of the world, especially here in the UK, where most people had 8-bit computers to play games on rather than consoles (other than Arcade cabinets). I mean the first relatively successful console in the UK was the NES, and that didn't get released here until 1987.
You're right, it was only in the US that there was a crash in the early 80s. In the UK and Ireland we hardly (well, we didn't in fact at all) noticed. The UK had a huge game development team made up of school kids that coded in their bedrooms in their free time and for the most part did it for fun (money was welcome but not expected in many cases) so the market for the likes of the Spectrum and the C64 had no shortage of software in the UK. In contrast the US was a market where game development was (as I understand it) mostly for cartridge based consoles, which needed finances and resources to develop for. Which meant that there was no pool of cheap software development resources to draw on.
I like ET for the 2600 a lot. I found an article a couple of years back that explained how to edit the ROM to improve the game (including improving the falling in pits bug) and make it more confortable to play along with a few aesthetic improvements. It makes the game a little better but to be honest even in its original form I find the game fun and it gives you a great feeling if you manage to finish it. Happy New year to you too Tron hope you had great end of year celebrations ;)
Happy New Year to you and your family! Excellent video and commentary.. very true! Thanks for sharing
Happy New Year to you and yours too Rudy and thank you for your kind comment ;)
I like the Atari version as well. It's hard, yes but do I have never understood all the hate. Now I must try the Specky version!
Don't expect too much from the Spectrum version. It's a nice little game sure, but it has it's flaws. I found it intriguing that a game that people love to hate these days was given the time and effort it took to convert by a guy in his bedroom back when it was released. I figure that it was a lot more loved back then than they say. Happy New Year Ken.
Great video! I haven't heard of the specky version of the ET game, thanks for sharing. Happy New Year Peter :)
I think that it's not very well known at all to be honest, I just thought that it was fascinating that a game that everyone loves to hate so much now, was loved enough back when it was released for someone to take the time to convert it to the Specky, pits and all. A fun game, despite it's flaws. Happy New Year to you Josip, hope you had great end of year celebrations with your friends and family ;)
I also enjoyed the 2600 version. Haven't read Warshaw's book yet, but been meaning to... Your thoughts at the end regarding nostalgia remind me of an excellent episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE called "Walking Distance," in which a man time-travels back to his youth and realizes there is only room in the past for one version of himself... and it's not his adult self. Happy New Year...!
Yeah, I only played it for the first time 3 or 4 years ago and I found it enjoyable (I can see how a young child would have been disappointed with it though). The whole myth and legend around it is great though and Warshaw's book fleshes it out a little (in fact the first few chapters of the audio book are available on youtube if you want a flavour of the book). As regards my thoughts, take em' or leave em', it seems that a lot of people don't agree with me :) I have however found that episode of the Twilight Zone you spoke of online and I look forward to watching it this coming weekend. Take care ;)
(" Save the 8bit Computers... and "Aliens"! )
Interesting, this BASIC port for ZX:). And then no, this game is not the worst game and did not cause the crack of 83... (for nostalgia, sometimes we can say that it was not necessarily worse before, though...)
Alternative truth: no game has ever been buried in New Mexico... (not even a Breakout ? )
And a Happy New Year :D
Bonne année à toi aussi, jamais compris la haine qu'a engendré ET, il n'est pas parfait, mais pas non plus catastrophique pour l'époque, la version ZX en basic à l'air vraiment sympa.
ET sur la Atari 2600 est un jeu amusant, il a ses défauts mais il est fun et satisfaisant si tu arriverais à le terminer. J'ai trouvé intéressant que quelqu'un ait pris le temps de le porter sur le Specky. Bonne année TOMO5
Surely Custer's Revenge is the worst Atari2600 game ever ???
it has better game play but a horrible concept
Can't really disagree there. But the thing I've heard about ET was that it wasn't obvious what you had to do to complete the game, you had to read the manual to understand how to win at it (and to compound this problem part of the target market was young kids). Games like Space invaders, River Raid and many others including Custer's revenge had obvious goals and were just pick up and play. Add to this the fact that Atari paid upwards of 20 million for the rights to ET (at least I think the price was that high) and you've got your worst game ever. Honestly, ET is flawed but it is fun to play and is a great feeling if you actually manage to finish it. Happy New Year to you and take care ;)