![]() ![]() ![]() The graphics (and sound also) are seen as being some of the best the C64 has to offer, so I was setting the bar very high by aiming for this style, but I think the cartoony Creatures graphics along with the collecting and platforming of Jet Set Willy / Manic Miner would make a great combo. These are both platform games made by Apex Computer Productions (John and Steve Rowlands), which I always remember for the Torture Screens, where you have to find a way of stopping the various devices from causing a grizzly end to your friends. I was unsure at this point whether my game would be open world or screen by screen, but there would be plenty of time to decide this later. The sequel, Jet Set Willy, had a more ‘open-world’ approach, and lets you explore a huge mansion (three times bigger than Manic Miners map) to collect objects at your leisure and in an order of your choosing. You collect all of the objects on the screen and make your way to the exit, where you are faced with a new screen and more objects. I would like some of what Matthew Smith was taking when he designed these games. One of the things that stands out most about Manic Miner (whether you like it or not!) is the pixel perfect jumps that have to be made to get from platform to platform and to avoid the numerous incredibly imaginative enemies. Too many games these days have you clumsily looking down at your hands trying to remember what does what. One of these was the first game I remember playing on my Dad’s ZX Spectrum 48k, which had only three buttons to control the main character, the simplicity of which I adore: Left, Right, Jump. It can be a little daunting diving in to somebody else’s code, but with the right approach and some patience can be incredibly rewarding when you discover something new.Īrmed with all of this new information, I actually decided to start my game again from scratch, which although has cost me time and was somewhat painful, it will now ensure that my project is structured correctly and that all of my code is up to date with the new knowledge I have gained.Īnother piece of ‘research’ I decided was needed was to play some platform games for inspiration. This was a very valuable step to take as it has taught me many programming tricks, ways to structure code and some great ways to conserve memory. Jim’s book is widely regarded as being the best way to get started and to advance with machine language.Īnother great suggestion given to me was to study some source code from other C64 games. I recommend the revised and expanded edition, which you can download along with lots of other great books from here: I sought out some recommendations from the Lemon64 forums, and one book that cropped up again and again was Jim Butterfield’s ‘ Machine Language for the Commodore 64‘. I already owned The Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide, which is very handy to refer to and learn the basics of machine language, but I needed something a little more advanced. Since I am (possibly quite badly) self taught in machine language and it has been many years since I used it last, there are a fair few gaps in my knowledge of how machine language and the C64 work, so I figured it would be a good idea to try to fill in some of these gaps to make progressing with coding as easy as possible. And it’s always good to learn something new, right? Why? It has been a dream of mine to make a C64 platform game for a long, long time, and I want to make the best job of it that I possibly can. Since the last instalment, I made the decision to go completely back to basics and do some research before progressing any further with my platform game. ![]() What is RGC? What is Retro Games Collector and who is behind it?.
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