Hewco

Commodore Vic 20 games by Andy H https://www.hewco.uk

[hewco]

Commodore Vic 20 adventure game in progress.

The jetpac particles are now aware of the surroundings. Added a floating bob while in the air. Next up the jetpac power bar.

[mingos-commodoreblog]

Anti-Matter Splatter (VIC-20) - 1983

[hewco]

Love Rabbit Software.

[hewco]

This is one of the ready to use templates in the Vic 20 Bitmap Mode - create a new project, select the Vic 20 platform, then pick the VBM Platformer template.

Simple, but comprehensive platform code to help you get started and to learn how to make use of the editors, graphics, sprites, levels and commands.

[hewco]

Turbo Rascal Syntax Error (TRSE) version 0.09 has been released and it is a big one. Plenty of new features for all builds including the C64, Amiga, Pet, NES etc, but also includes the HUGE Vic Bitmap Mode for making Vic 20 games like Omega Race, Jetpac and Perils of Willy.  A full screen 20x24 character (160x192 pixels) screen where every pixel can be set independently and all the support commands you will need to get starting making fast, smooth games - Sprites, Tiles / Tilemaps, text, numbers, copy/paste etc.  It’s open source, it’s free, it’s available for Windows, OSX and Linux. Download: http://www.turborascal.com

[hewco]

My latest pull request undergoing a code review. #cats #coding #8bit #turborascal https://www.instagram.com/p/B84d94xhkzm/?igshid=1kdngwkx40ym0

[hewco]

Want to make your own Jet Set Willy on the Vic 20?

[hewco]

Bubble Bobble music playing on a Vic 20 with a test movement of Bub walking across the screen.

[hewco]

Vic 20 music and sound factoid

Interesting fact (if Vic 20 facts interest you) ... The Vic 20 Programmers Reference Guide documents approximations for musical notes covering just over three octaves and their equivalent value that you can poke into one of the three tone voice channels.

The three tone voice channels cover a total of five octaves between them, with each one overlapping the previous channel.  The Vic 20 Programmers Reference Guide also illustrates how these octaves overlap but rather oddly appears to list the notes 'a' to 'g' back to front (that caused some initial headaches for someone like me who is music newbie).

In any case, these values are calculated and are approximations.  Notes at the upper end of each octave end at C and C# with values 240 and 241 respectively, but these sound a little off.  Indeed, when used in the Bubble Bobble music above they are not quite right.  Furthermore, I needed a couple of additional notes above C# so I tried values of 242 upwards.  Disaster! They do not sound right at all.

It seems the way these are calculated are from various timers with the screen refresh (50Hz PAL and 60Hz NTSC) having a bearing on that.  The higher tones having values that are closer together - that makes sense with frequencies and waveforms.  Only at 240 upwards I think it needs fractional numbers which are not available in your standard byte that only has 240 and 241.

The long and short of it is that notes at this upper range really need something closer to 240.5 and 241.5 or some other fractional part to hit the tone correctly.  For the Bubble Bobble tune, when it got into these high notes it sounded a little out of tune.

Disaster, did I hear you cry? Well let's say you did cry, but cry no more.  I am using voices 1 and 2 for the music and that overlapping octaves allows me to steal voice 3 when needed to get a better C, C#, D, D# and E note in the desired octave so the music now sounds as it should.

Downside is I wanted to keep Voice 3 and the FX voice free for the sound effects.  I can still use Voice 3 but either the music or the sound effects will need to decide who wins over when they both need that voice channel.  We'll see how that plays out (bah-dum-tish).

If interested, I'll post the full tune later today. 

[hewco]

Cat can has Vic 20 muzax

[hewco]

Vic 20 music

That was a fruitful evening. Converted the game tune to the #vic20 ... it looks like this is going to be the next project and the first to use my new bitmap mode for #turborascal.

[hewco]

Bit of Bubble Bobble on the Commodore Vic 20? Was going to make a little demo for the Vic Bitmap Mode I have added to Turbo Rascal, but considering demaking a versio for the humble Vic.

[hewco]

Ms kittycat checking out the latest FREEZE64 magazine (and preventing further development on the game).

[hewco]

From the end of the video - Llamaface - probably not coming to a #vic20 near you - or is it?  ( nah - it's not :-p )

[hewco]

The Vic Bitmap Mode (VBM) for Turbo Rascal is almost complete. This is an example that will come with the update showing the small text support. 

I had two motivations for creating VBM; Sprites and being able to do an Omega Race attract screen! Achievement unlocked.

[hewco]

Text scrollers are easy to do with my Vic 20 Bitmap Mode (VBM) command set in Turbo Rascal.  Currently in beta and will be released soon.

If you understood enough of BASIC to make a simple program, you will feel comfortable with the Pascal-like language in Turbo Rascal.  The VBM functionality is very easy to use.  There’s help for every command and example code, like the one above, to show how to use them in practice.

[darth-azrael]

Adventureland (VIC-20) 

[hewco]

My first and favourite adventure.  Loved the fantasy aspect of it.  Who remembers when first chopping down the tree to open up the game to its true objective? And did you get the keys first?

This box art is what drew me to this expensive cartridge in the Walsall branch of boots.  It was between this and just another Vic 20 game on cassette, but much, much cheaper.  The box art won me over and although I cannot remember how much I paid, it did involve borrowing several weeks pocket money from my parents.

Getting it home I as dumbfounded.  What had I bought?  Where are all the graphics?  I’d typed SYS 32592 and I was still in something like BASIC - just words.  Had I not got into the game yet?  Well, with all that money spent I had to persevere and I am so glad I did.

Once I began to understand what an adventure game was and how to play I was hooked.  I drew my own map, worked out (slowly) how to get the axe, to cure my bites and then the tree - wow.

Great memories for 38 years ago.

[koney-scanlines]

coMmodore Vic 20: A viSuaL HistOry

A book about the computer that made Commodore enter the home market. Many pictures of the VIC 20 revisions and peripherals, plus restored box art images of all the cartridges sold by Commodore for the system.

[hewco]

If you had a Vic 20 this book is an essential purchase!