43-Year-Old INPUT Bug Fixed: From C64 to VIC-20 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-25 | The Commodore VIC-20 and earlier versions of the Commodore 64 have a bug in their BASIC INPUT statement. If the programmer-specified prompt is longer than a screen line, then the prompt gets stored along with the user's response in the variable. In the case of a numeric variable, this causes an endless ?REDO FROM START error loop. After demonstrating the bug and that it was fixed in C64 KERNAL V3, and how to quickly identify what KERNAL version your C64 has, we'll get to the cause of the bug in KERNAL V2 and the way it was fixed in KERNAL V3, and see if we can't backport this fix to the VIC-20 in the form of a patch. Finally, our very own Mr. Doornbos demonstrates the patched VIC-20 KERNAL on real hardware using a ROM Emulator.Links mentioned:Mr. Doornbos' blog: imapenguin.comMy previous KERNAL revisions video: youtu.be/If4mcprqBZwTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAMore info about the ROM Emulator:mygeekyhobby.com/2020/07/05/eprom-emulatorgithub.com/Kris-Sekula/EPROM-EMU-NGVIC-20 KERNAL ROM patch:The patch should be applied to VIC-20 KERNAL ROM binary file kernal.901486-06.bin (NTSC) or kernal.901486-07.bin (PAL).30 bytes at offset $597 of file: 20 7e ea a9 15 e8 b4 d9 30 06 18 69 16 e8 10 f6 85 d5 4c b2 ea e4 c9 f0 03 4c 19 e7 60 ea2 bytes at offset $63D: ac e5Index:0:00 INPUT example1:40 Demonstrating the bug on VIC3:54 Demonstrating the bug on C64, fixed on KERNAL V35:55 How to identify your C64 KERNAL version9:21 KERNAL V2 Bug Walkthrough14:26 KERNAL V2 Bug Explanation 20:08 KERNAL V3 Bug Fix 26:40 Backport the C64 V3 Fix to the VIC-20?28:55 The VIC-20 Patch31:25 Testing the patch: Mr. Doornbos: imapenguin.com34:40 Thanks to my patrons
Commodore 64 is Boss: Datassette Motor and Location $01 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-10-11 | When you fast-forward, rewind, play or record your tapes with your Datassette on your Commodore 64, there's actually more going on than you might think. It's actually up to software, whether the KERNAL ROM code, or the game you're playing, or your own program you wrote, to allow the cassette deck to be powered and actually move the tape. We look at several examples, both commercial games, and our own user-written BASIC programs to help demonstrate this, and even take a peek at the C64 system interrupt code.Links to other videos mentioned:"99.8% Compatible? The C64 Mode of the Commodore 128" youtu.be/Ial2VSAu7tw Software on tape: "Software on Cassette Tape in USA and Canada - Apple, TRS-80, Atari, PET to Commodore 64" youtu.be/-nHrjqmt_wQ To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Datasette compared to other cassette decks6:11 C64 and Datasette: working together8:58 Last V8: gameplay; no tape control12:02 Cauldron II: gameplay; motor always running15:01 Road Toad, Lazer Force: two other behaviours18:25 ?PEEK(1) - 4 states21:04 The bits of location 126:57 Slowing down the system interrupt30:10 REALLY slowing down the system IRQ35:15 Diassembling the KERNAL IRQ code: tape routines40:06 Using Tape Motor Interlock 44:15 Conclusion and thanks!
Running a Local Retro Computer Club? What Were Doing 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-09-28 | Finding that my once-a-year dose of vintage computer fun at Vintage Computer Festival Midwest wasn't enough, and not being able to justify the time and money to travel more often, I started the Thunder Bay Retro Computer Club with some friends back in 2019. I share some ideas about how you might try to start a similar group in your local area, and then give a report on how our ~16-computer display went at ThunderCon 2024. We had fun!To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OALinks:DJ Sures, NABU expert: youtube.com/@DJSures thundercon.orgcarlitosgamecafe.caIndex:0:00 Too far or expensive to go to VCF? Try local.2:55 Places to meet and other club-form tips5:44 The best meeting ever? October 2022 - NABU debut6:35 Thunder Bay Retro Computer Club at ThunderCon 20247:37 The computers we brought...9:48 Looking around ThunderCon11:08 A closer look at our display14:27 Threatened by a Dalek, more old computers17:37 Conclusion, thanks
Top 50 Things I Saw/Got at VCFMW 19 (2024) 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-09-21 | Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 19 happened from September 7-8th, 2024 and once again I was in attendance, having a great time in the new huge venue seeing many friends, old and new, and seeing lots of interesting stuff. There was so much there that I didn't even get a chance to see, but here's my report from my particular perspective. Thanks to many of you for the generous gifts, and for all the great conversation and laughs and interesting ideas and sights. See the chapter index below, along with the list of ~50 things even if it's slightly fudged to make a nice round number.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OASites mentioned:VCFMW: vcfmw.orgc64stuff.commega65.orgthestopbits.net/index.htmlNever Never Land BBS: telnetbbsguide.com/bbs/never-never-land-bbsStyle (TMP and more): style64.org github.com/robinhedwards/A8PicoCartretrogameboyz.com/products/whackadoodle-control-padCompute's First Book of VIC Games: archive.org/details/Computes_First_Book_of_VIC_Games/page/n191/mode/2upMeatloaf: github.com/idolpx/meatloafNybbles and Bytes: nybblesandbytes.net/blog/vcfmw19.htmlMatthew Desmond: factorofmatt.comThe Retro Adventurers Podcast: retroadventurers.podbean.com Youtubes to check out:Official VCFMW: youtube.com/channel/UCu3UDdi0llxiSaFKq-p5gYQ Canadian Retro Things: youtube.com/watch?v=TAD6KAFF6XsRetroCombs: youtube.com/channel/UCjdKGdIl5leQfhJZiHUYFbQMacintosh Librarian: youtube.com/@MacintoshLibrarianMaiden Ariana: youtube.com/c/MaidenArianaCityXen: youtube.com/@CityXenMeatloaf: youtu.be/KkgXSpBv4wY Nybbles and Bytes: youtube.com/nybblesandbytesSoftware for download:gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/stargatejeffdaniels.itch.io/steamedhams cityxen.itch.io/whackadoodlefuzzybad.itch.io/c64-light-cycle-duel 8-Bit Show and Tell videos mentioned: TEDMon video: youtu.be/7mtpxmQbs9E Frogs & Flies: youtu.be/-3Oswij6kh4Epyx Fast Load: youtu.be/D_2PPYoY5OYVCFMW 2022 Meatloaf and Ultimax interviews: youtu.be/xVnc676191g Index:0:00 About the show, layout1:28 Slideshow 1: Stuff I Saw there4:37 Steamed Hams, but it's for the VIC-207:40 Stuff I got 1: various swag14:08 Stuff I got 2: gifts and purchases17:55 Slideshow 2: ~retro computer shows 20 years ago20:35 CityXen controller and Whackadoodle25:49 Meatloaf: t-shirt & device27:25 Nybbles and Bytes: Legend of the Drunken Snake32:28 Matt Desmond: SnapTerm & DesTerm 12838:00 Light Cycle Duel Deluxe & 4-player adapter40:30 Vintage sealed C64 games43:38 Lazarian vs. Dragonsden45:48 CBM SX-64 Ultimax: The Ultimate Portable Executive Computer50:43 Thanks and patron creditsThe Top 50 Things (not in any order)1. My VCFMW Badge2. VCFMW Map3. VCFMW t-shirt4. Slideshow: Calculators5. CP/M disks6. Stargate for C647. The Imagination Machine8. Free Pile9. Commodore Max10. Commodore 65s11. Steamed Hams for VIC-2012. MSX DPC-20013. Commodore Cash Register14. Meat Button15. Canadian Retro Things16. Table Reservation17. RetroCombs badge18. C64 Stuff token19. 45GS02 Mega65 Mouse Mat20. Stop Bits sticker21. Never Neverland BBS miniposter22. Macintosh Library sticker23. American Science & Surplus24. Retro Alcover stickers & etc.25. Style Brochure26. Frogs & Flies mousemat27. Pocket Guide to Buying a Home Computer28. Retro Adventurers podcast card29. A8 Pico Cart30. Epyx Fast Load31. Jim's photocollection32. Compute's First Book of VIC Games: maze generator33. CityXen controller34. RetroGameBoyz brochure35. Whackadoodle36. Meatloaf T-shirt37. Meatloaf!38. Nybbles & Bytes Business Card39. Nybbles: Legend of the Drunken Snake40. Factor of Matt business card41. Desterm 128 2.0 User Guide and disk42. DesTestMax43. Light Cycle Duel Deluxe disk44. 4-player adapter45. Viper Patrol46. Captain Power47. Ardok the Barbarian48. Trantor: The Last Storm Trooper49. DragonsDen50. CBM SX-64 Ultimax
Soft-Patching C64 ROMs for Benchmark BASIC: 6510 Assembly Code Walkthrough 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-09-10 | Today we'll look through the Commodore 64 6510 assembly language source of the Benchmark BASIC utility. Even if you have no interest in the benchmarking aspects, we'll cover a wide variety of development techniques, including: use of the Turbo Macro Pro assembler, soft-patching the C64 ROMs, fixing the ?OUT OF MEMORY error, great resources for understanding the BASIC and KERNAL codebase, how location 1's memory control really works, how to use BASIC's floating point math routines, and even more.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OADownload the Benchmark BASIC .d64 (see instructions below, and in video):8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/bbasic.d64Links mentioned in video:Original Benchmark BASIC video: youtu.be/B-Cky_2l11UBlock Transfer fix: youtu.be/dG_oZV6s0Zg PageTable: pagetable.com/c64ref/c64disasmTool Kit video: youtu.be/O8DRGqIZpPgCodeBase: codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:kernal_floating_point_mathematics Transactor Anthology: archive.org/details/transactor-anthology Greg's C64 OS 6510 port article: c64os.com/post/6510procport Advanced machine language: archive.org/details/The_Advanced_Machine_Language_Book_for_the_Commodore_64TI$ video: youtu.be/VkabHdR15xs To use: mount/attach the .d64 imageLOAD"BENCHMARK BASIC",8,1SYS 49152 to startSTOP+RESTORE keys to disableTo load the source code (requires REU):LOAD"TMP+REU",8,1SYS 32768to view disk directory: [back arrow] *to load: [back arrow] Lfile name: bb33 (or whatever latest filename is on disk)cursor keys to navigate source file[back arrow] 3press S to startThe REU is required to assemble to RAM at $C000 (where Benchmark BASIC lives) because Turbo Macro Pro also uses that memory range. But if you don't have access to an REU, a workaround is to assemble to disk with [back arrow] 5, and then give a filename. Once assembly is complete, you can reset the computer, load the object code with ,8,1 and SYS 49152 to start it.Index:0:00 Recap about Benchmark BASIC use2:08 How to load the source in Turbo Macro Pro4:28 About the $C000 origin, and why REU8:50 SEI: Set Interrupt Disable10:06 ?OUT OF MEMORY ERROR fix13:53 ROM copy routine18:06 Modify READY. prompt19:20 Resources: PageTable.com and Dan Heeb's Tool Kit books21:34 Patching RUN23:00 Location 1: Switching out the ROMs28:46 When RUN is typed... more patching32:14 Jiffy Clock reset, handing control back34:12 Just scrolling once, the wonders of C='s screen editor38:44 Final cleanup40:18 About BASIC's floating-point routines43:10 Stashing, printing, converting, dividing floating points48:36 ENDing49:51 Conclusion, thanks!
Sprite Expand Bug in Defender for C64 by AtariSoft 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-09-01 | The official Defender game cartridge for the Commodore 64 by AtariSoft from 1983, by Joe Simko, has an amusing super-sized bug. If you hit the Restore key just as your ship's explosion reaches its peak, when you play your next life, your ship, the alien enemies, and the humans you're Defending are all jumbo-sized. This is due to a minor initialization bug in the original 6502 code. After a BASIC demonstration of the VIC-II's sprite expansion capabilities, we discuss the CRT image emulator format and how we can examine it on a real C64, and then use the Super Snapshot machine language monitor to track down the cause of the bug and fix it. Then we use the venerable LOAD ADDRESS program from the 1541 Test/Demo Diskette to fix our fix, flash it on an Easy Flash 3 cartridge, and give it a play test. We also take a quick look at another Defender bug just discovered, which should be the subject of a future video.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OALinks:The 1541 Test/Demo Diskette:https://commodore.software/downloads/download/152-1541-floppy-drive/1151-1541-test-demo-disk-1-85The CRT file format: ist.uwaterloo.ca/~schepers/formats/CRT.TXTIndex:0:00 Defender by AtariSoft3:30 Here's how to trigger the bug5:50 Expanded sprites in C64 BASIC11:07 About the Defender CRT image16:15 A better way to load the image19:02 Disassembling the 6502 code23:53 Patching the code25:45 Fixing the load address28:33 Flashing, testing the fix30:35 I noticed another bug!33:52 Thanks to Steve, Patrons, and You
Robotron: 2084 One-Bit Fix and Many Other Thoughts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-08-19 | Today we'll look at several aspects of Robotron: 2084. First we'll examine two of the main inspirations for Robotron's development: "Chase" for the Commodore PET (which we've modified to be a bit more playable) and "Berzerk" (demonstrated on the Atari 2600+ since we don't have access to the original arcade version). Then we'll look at the decent AtariSoft port of Robotron to the Commodore 64, including a Lego-assisted way of bringing the twin stick controls home. Then we'll examine the bizarre freezing bug when C64 Robotron is run on the Commodore SX-64, also known as the Executive 64. We'll examine the root causes: a hardware flaw in the SX-64, but also a software bug in Robotron, and suggest three different fixes for the problem.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OADownload "Chase" for Commodore PET:8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/chase.d64 The first file on the disk image is "CHASE" which is the original game.LOAD"CHASE2",8 if you want to play Robin's modified version.Ray Carlsen's website: portcommodore.com/rcarlsenDirect links to Ray's SX-64 info:portcommodore.com/rcarlsen/cbm/sx64/sx64.txt portcommodore.com/rcarlsen/cbm/sx64/PHOTOS/Q-LINK%20FIX.jpg portcommodore.com/rcarlsen/cbm/sx64/SRQ%20vs%20game%20carts.txt Index:0:00 William's Electronics Memories1:40 Robotron Influence 1: Chase for Commodore PET7:01 Robotron Influence 2: Berzerk (shown on Atari 2600+)9:40 Commodore 64 Robotron: 208411:29 Twin Sticks on C6414:16 Robotron Bug on Commodore SX-6419:25 The SX-64 SRQ line bug and hardware fixes23:36 Examining the Robotron cartridge for the bug29:04 The Fix: Flashing to EasyFlash32:57 Testing Software Fix on the SX-6435:38 Final Thoughts, Thanks
Fixing Frantic Freddie: Commodore 64 Bugs, Minus World 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-08-03 | I WAS going to make a video about fixing the music player code in the C64 game Frantic Freddie so it would also work on the Commodore 128. But changing a bunch of $D5 bytes to $D4 really didn't seem all that interesting to me anymore. While I was contemplating this, patron James Poll pointed out a little glitch in the 2nd Interlude that suddenly became VERY interesting. And I had also heard about a potential game-breaking bug at level 17 - or was it a game victory screen? Now I had a new quest: to see these bugs for myself and see if there was anything I could fix. But getting there wouldn't be easy: first we'd have to develop a number of cheats and hacks to make progressing in the game easier. So we use the trusty Super Snapshot to figure out how to get infinite lives, and also to make the levels much easier to complete: just collect one pot of gold instead of ten!) We even figure out how to skip those interlude screens when they're worn out their welcome. Finally we get to level 17 - and then, beyond! The upper reaches of Frantic Freddie, like Minus World for Super Mario.Previous video: "99.8% Compatible? The C64 Mode of the Commodore 128"youtu.be/Ial2VSAu7twAdrian Gonzalez' amazing SnappyROM (Super Snapshot upgrade ROM) - works on EasyFlash 3 and Kung-Fu Flash!:github.com/adrianglz64/snappyrom To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 A couple bugs in Frantic Freddie?3:30 Infinite lives cheat9:20 Making levels easier: one pot of gold16:04 Any one pot out of ten18:35 Fixing InterLUDE 224:33 How the InterLUDEs work33:50 Making InterLUDEs skippable41:40 All We Need: RUN to Level 1746:35 Beyond Level 17: Glitch World54:40 Conclusion & Thanks
3.17 cm Floppy Diskettes? Radio Shack Canada Was Bad At Math 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-07-17 | Ken from Canadian Retro Things obtained a box of 3.17 cm floppy disks. Okay, really they were standard 5.25 inch disks, but why did they say 3.17 cm on them? Blame Canada! Or at least Radio Shack Canada. We'll explore the use of Metric and Imperial measurements in Canada, how to spell the word "colour", and give Robin a chance to show his French skills again. And we'll do some unit conversion on a Radio Shack VFD calculator and a Colour Color Computer 3 (aka CoCo3) to solve the mystery. Thanks to Ken (for the disks), Vladimir (for the math), and Jason (for the sign pics)!Canadian Retro Things: youtube.com/c/canadianretrothings The video that Ken first showed the 3.17 cm disks in: youtube.com/watch?v=wD9KdXzcikkTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OANoel's Retro Lab scan of Radio Shack Canada 1986 catalog: archive.org/details/radio-shack-catalog-1986-canada That Measurement Flow Chart: reddit.com/r/HelloInternet/comments/czcf7u/canadian_measurement_flowchartIndex:0:00 3.17cm disks? Why I care.2:40 Radio Shack Canada4:03 Metrication in Canada5:55 Calculator Time8:34 Canadian English9:50 Ken from Canadian Retro Things11:33 How did this happen? CoCo Time16:30 Thanks!
Apple II Hi-res 10 PRINT *or* Robin vs. Applesoft BASIC 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-07-04 | Discovering yet another 10 PRINT variant, this time for the Apple II by Lee Fastenau, we drag the Apple IIc away from the beach and back to the plywood. After some b-roll ranting, we discuss some of the quirks of the Applesoft BASIC editor, and go about entering the program. Several attempts at improving the program are made, but they don't amount to much, despite great perseverance with the editor. In the end, maybe we learn it's about the journey, not the destination.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Intro / rant / wildlife footage4:19 Booting the Apple IIc / type-in time8:29 RUN - hires 10 PRINT10:31 What's with delete?12:58 An attempt at line editing17:22 Okay instead I'll shorten it23:10 Slash logic28:52 One more try at faster33:19 Play with Size: it's bigger35:42 Failed improvement: line draw41:20 Thanks! Some bonus thoughts about the journey
Oric-1 First L̶o̶o̶k̶ Listen 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-06-25 | We take a first (short) look at Tangerine Computer System's ORIC-1, a British-made 6502-based computer that had some, but not a lot of success in the UK and France in the early 1980s, competing primarily against the ZX Spectrum. I couldn't manage to get any video output from the computer and normally that would mean I'd just shelve the video and move on to something else. But when I was told I could blindly get the computer to make sounds through the internal speaker, I had so much fun with it that I still made this video. Sorry! At least it's short by my standards.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Some info and look-around3:58 Powering it; video output obstacle7:42 ZAP, EXPLODE10:37 Random music type-in14:25 Thanks!
Best POKE Ever? For Commodore 64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-06-19 | There's so many potential POKEs in the world; nobody's tried them all, but here's one for the Commodore 64 that may provide the best bang for your buck: POKE 788,82. Join me as we demonstrate what it does, try to figure out the history of it, and then attempt to explain how it works, and why there are a couple variations of it.Pagetable disassembly: pagetable.com/c64ref/c64disasm/#EA31 SnappyROM (Super Snapshot ROM upgrade): github.com/adrianglz64/snappyrom To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Collecting POKEs!1:06 POKE 788,82 - Etch-A-Sketch4:19 Who discovered this?6:18 POKE 788,52 - disable STOP and TI8:13 What does location 788 do? $0314/$0315 Interrupt Vector10:48 What does $FFEA do? Updates Jiffy Clock and checks STOP12:06 What does $EA34 do? Manages cursor flashing15:22 POKE 788,80 vs. POKE 788,8220:00 Best POKE ever? Thanks!
Loading, Playing, Dev Info on Emus Massive Hunt: Brand New VIC-20 Game 2024 #metroidvania #8bit 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-06-11 | Emu's Massive Hunt is a brand-new VIC-20 platform game in the Metroidvania style that was developed using Turbo Rascal Syntax Error and the LBM8 graphics library by Andy Hewitt of Hewco. It's available on cassette from The Future Was 8-Bit and as a free download for your +35K expanded VIC-20. We demonstrate loading the game from tape on a real NTSC VIC-20, and of course play the game, and then look at an Emu-themed tutorial that Andy's made for TRSE and LBM8 showing part of how EMH was developed.Links Mentioned:Buy the tape: tfw8b.com/product/emh-vic20-35k Download the game: hewco.itch.io/emh Turbo Rascal: lemonspawn.com/turbo-rascal-syntax-error-expected-but-begin LBM8 Library: hewco.uk/lbm8To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Loading the game on tape3:27 Instructions / Attract Mode7:21 Outside the Windmill10:55 Inside to Upper Areas17:16 A Key Location / Snorkel23:22 Turbo Rascal Syntax Error27:18 Tutorial 1 Code Walkthrough38:28 Tutorial 2/3 Preview40:32 Easter Egg45:43 Thanks!
10x Faster Than C64 BASIC? Hare Basic 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-05-20 | Hare Basic is a fast, limited instruction set, integer-only basic interpreter (not a compiler) for Commodore 64 and VIC 20, created by Aleksi Eeben and released for free download in May 2024. There's an excellent handbook included, and the distribution disk includes many excellent example programs. I had a lot of fun developing a little game prototype with Hare Basic and found that it was surprisingly fast and easy to use. Join me as I show you what I've learned about the language, as we walk through the code of some of the included example programs, and the small game I wrote with it.Downloads here:https://csdb.dk/release/?id=242880bit.ly/harebasic bit.ly/harebasichandbook 8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/descending.d64 To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Playing Descending Doom game prototype3:20 Hare Basic - a faster BASIC8:07 BALLOONS demo15:16 FILLSPEED demo19:16 RASTER demo21:31 TIPS: various code snippets24:28 Descending Doom walkthrough:setup29:37 Move spaceship34:31 Move/detect bullet/fire37:00 Descend the Doom41:56 Title Screen / Game Won / Lost43:46 Some final thoughts & info46:05 Thanks to my patrons!
This Game Cheats? Hal Labs LeMans for Commodore 64 (Part 3) 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-05-04 | Finally we dig into the disassembled code of LeMans, with a focus on the time-keeping and scoring routines that are directly tied to this game's very flexible definition of a second. Can we conclusively show that this game cheats? Along the way we find a really neat trick for detecting multiples of 20,000 points, and other conventional and unconventional approaches to C64 game development. LeMans is one of the launch titles of the Commodore 64 and Commodore Max, released back in 1982, and it was developed by Hal Laboratory, possibly by Satoru Iwata himself.This series:Part 1: Dumping LeMans cartridge: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgkPart 2: Making the binary RUNnable: youtu.be/UKG00SyA0fEPart 3: This Game Cheats: This video!BCD video: youtu.be/vnhyGt6URYcTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Recap1:30 Since 8K is actually a lot of code...3:17 EE10: Incrementing the BCD score7:16 EE25: Checking for multiples of 20,00013:29 F39E: 1000 bonus points14:53 E182: Initializing time17:08 EFEE: Tracking time21:24 F462: Game over?25:20 F564: Definition of a second: the "cheat"28:58 E06D: CIA driven: 1.000000 MHz?32:50 E802: 6 unused bytes: DDE?35:14 Conclusion and thanks!
SuperCPU Sky Travel Easter Egg Hunt for Commodore 64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-04-21 | We take another look at the Commodore 64 astronomy program Sky Travel, this time with the assistance of the 20 MHz CMD SuperCPU Accelerator. We examine the reasons for the 2 hour discrepancy between Sky Travel's depiction of the eclipse, and reality. It involves time zones and Daylight Saving Time. Other tangential topics include: JiffyDOS disk speed-up, 1541 disk drive "head knocking" copy protection. Then finally we go on a "round the world" easter egg hunt for many interesting "tokens" hidden in the Sky Travel program.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAThe previous Sky Travel / Eclipse video that I reference: youtu.be/gipFvhEMB0I titled "Viewing the 2024 Solar Eclipse with Commodore 64's 1984 Sky Travel"My previous SuperCPU video: youtu.be/x9clez2fxxwAtari version: atarimania.com/pgesoft.awp?version=384Index:0:00 Intro1:36 About the CMD SuperCPU and JiffyDOS4:52 Booting Sky Travel with JiffyDOS, speed-up6:40 Disable Head "Bump"8:05 The 2 Hour Error: DST and Time Zones12:07 The eclipse from Apache, Arizona: no error18:49 The Sky Travel Easter Eggs: Polar Bear20:50 Eggs 2 - 625:42 Eggs 7 - 1131:14 One last egg32:50 Thanks!
Trying to LOAD Sky Travel Floppy Disk on the Commodore 64 #c64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-04-09 | From the full video: youtu.be/gipFvhEMB0I
Viewing the 2024 Solar Eclipse with Commodore 64s 1984 Sky Travel 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-04-07 | A Commodore 64 can be used to view the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse with the help of some software from 1984 called "Sky Travel: A Window To Our Galaxy". We take a quick look at the original boxed program, complete with floppy disk, manual, and diskette replacement card! Then with the help of a 1541 disk drive and some vigorous head knocks, we get the software booted, configured (with some advice from Commodore friend Bruce Thomas), and finally view the eclipse from the safety of my basement.I made a follow-up video: youtu.be/ygDzpVMkDrw titled "SuperCPU "Sky Travel" Easter Egg Hunt for Commodore 64"To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OASky Travel manual (MicroIllusions edition): archive.org/details/sky-travel-c-64-manualIndex:0:00 Sky Travel: 1984 Commodore, 1987 MicroIllusions2:19 Inside the box: Floppy, Manual, Diskette Replacement4:16 Booting the 5.25" Floppy Disk7:20 Configuring location, date, and time11:42 Configuring and viewing the sky15:06 The eclipse: wear your ISO 12312-2 glasses20:55 Thanks!
Penultimate+2 2024 Refresh: More Games, Prog. Aid, wAx, Waterloo BASIC for VIC-20 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-04-04 | The Penultimate+2 cartridge for the Commodore VIC-20 has been refreshed for 2024. It's got even more games and programming tools packed in, so let's take another look. Highlights include the Programmer's Aid utility, the wAx2 assembler, and Waterloo Structured BASIC.Official Penultimate+2 Page: tfw8b.com/product/vic20-penultimate-plus-twoMy previous PU+2 videos:Mostly about the games: youtu.be/eNGyneXHKJQ Mostly utilities and dev tools: youtu.be/JTxiR4ZKfvo To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OANote: programs containing the extra commands of Waterloo BASIC, Super Expander, or Programmer's Aid require the cartridge (original, PU+2, or other re-creation) to function, so be aware when sharing your creations with friends!Programmer's Aid manual: archive.org/details/VIC-1212_Programmers_Aid_Cartridge_198x_CommodorewAx2 Assembler: github.com/chysn/VIC20-wax2/wikiWaterloo BASIC Manual: https://commodore.software/downloads/download/640-vic-20-programming-books/15931-waterloo-basic-manual-vic20 Denial page about the VIC-1001 cartridge: sleepingelephant.com/denial/wiki/index.php/Waterloo_Structured_BASIC Index:0:00 Last time...1:25 Blue LED: Random Game4:08 Games: Alien Invasion/Invaders, Atlantis9:16 Games: Fall, Operation Ganymed13:32 Games: Moon Patrol, Scrolling Through17:25 Programmer's Aid31:37 wAx V2.1 Assembler45:05 Waterloo Structured BASIC57:22 Boot Settings, and thanks!
Making a C64 Cartridge Dump RUNable, Fixing a 42-Year-Old Typo? LeMans (Part 2) 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-03-11 | Now that we've got a binary dump of the Lemans game cartridge (see previous video linked below) how do we make it able to simply LOAD and RUN without a bunch of messing around in the machine language monitor? And as a bonus: we fix a 42-year-old typo in the game!Part 1: Dumping LeMans cartridge: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgkPart 2: Making the binary RUNnable: This video!Part 3: This Game Cheats: youtu.be/tpKWu-WOz_EDownload the disk image to follow along: 8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/lemans.d64To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Last time on 8BST1:39 Turbo Macro Pro time: src6 walk-through4:20 BASIC Stub explanation7:32 Main program explanation10:24 Copy routine explanation12:21 Putting it together14:33 Testing it15:36 Robin From The Future: BOUNS Typo17:30 Locating the typo in ROM20:28 Fixing the typo in the dump?22:00 Fixing it in our boot program instead24:30 Testing it26:05 Thanks to my patrons!
Whats a Leap Year? Calculating on Commodore 64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-29 | 2024 is a leap year, and February 29th is Leap Day! Can we calculate leap years on a Commodore 64 in BASIC and 6502 Assembly Language? Of course we can. We also learn about why we have leap years, Julian and Gregorian calendars, question if it's Simon's or Simons' BASIC, figure out binary long division, notice some strange coincidences, and see Robin's ancestors in some 1962 movie footage that is barely on-topic. It's fun!Download the D64 with the source code:8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/leapyear.d64To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAThings mentioned in this video:codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:32_bit_hexadecimal_to_decimal_conversionc64-wiki.com/wiki/Simons%27_BASICgithub.com/adrianglz64/snappyromstore.go4retro.com/easyflash-3tfw8b.com/product/kung-fu-flashturbo.style64.orgIndex:0:00 About leap years2:50 Julian Calendar leap year calculation in C64 BASIC7:35 Gregorian Calendar calculation in Simons' BASIC10:06 Assembly language version - load and run12:11 Walk-through: main loop16:45 Checking if leap year (divisible by 4)18:34 Divide by 10022:34 Gregorian checks, printing, tabs27:05 A strange coincidence? Thanks!
First Stealth Video Game: Lost & Found. Manbiki Shounen / Shoplifting Boy for Commodore PET, 1979 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-25 | Way back in 1979 in Japan, Hiroshi Suzuki programmed a game for the Commodore PET that many consider the first-ever Stealth game: Manbiki Shounen aka Shoplifting Boy. Predating Castle Wolfenstein, it's a game in which a young shoplifter attempts to clear a supermarket of all items on the shelves without being caught. While this game has been ported to other platforms and those versions survive, the original PET game was considered lost! But now it's been found. Today we'll play this "lost" game on the Tynemouth MiniPET 40/80 produced by The Future Was 8-Bit, as well as on a mostly-working vintage PET 2001-N from 1979. I also explain the alternate control schemes and optimized version I created, while trying to preserve the legacy of this game. Finally, the game is now available as a .d64 download to play on your PET or emulator. Also, thanks to Rudy's Retro Intel for his PET Companion which assisted in the audio and video capture. Check the many links for more information.Download the game: 8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/manbiki.d64 Play the game online: https://masswerk.at/pet/?run=manbiki.d64/menu&repeat=off&sound=true Tynemouth Software Blog: http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2022/02/the-mini-pet-4080.html MiniPET 40/80 available again, SD2PET SD Card Disk at The Future Was 8-Bit: tfw8b.com/product/minipet-40-80-standalone-computer-kittfw8b.com/product/sd2pet-commodore-pet Rudy's Retro Intel: youtube.com/@RudysRetroIntel PET Companion purchase / inquiries: retrointeldiy@gmail.com"The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1": http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/the-untold-history-of-japanese-game-developers-volume-1 Stealth Docs / First Stealth Game: youtu.be/qrOiXcoABVg Jim Gerrie MC-10: http://jimgerrie.blogspot.com/2019/04/shoplifting-boy-first-stealth-game.html RAM Magazine / Manbiki Shonen scan: http://www.junirose.com/manbiki2022 Manbiki Syonen footage (bad scaling?): youtu.be/wP3E2jhMb6kInterview with Hiroshi Suzuki: https://readonlymemory.vg/ascii-corporation/ Thanks again to Ryan Devan for the great info that started all this!!To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAOriginal title for video: Found: "Lost" 1979 Stealth Game: Manbiki Shounen / Shoplifting Boy - Commodore PET (Japan)Index:0:00 The first Stealth game - lost?4:25 Manbiki Shounen - found in RAM Magazine!8:25 Tynemouth Mini PET 40/80, SD2PET, Commodore PET Companion9:46 RUNning Manbiki Syonen - Menu, Title, Intro, controls12:10 Playing the original game14:27 Why 6 versions - the menu17:45 The optimized version - Shoplifting Boy21:48 One problem I learned23:15 Flowchart / High-level code walkthrough31:25 History of game: Hiroshi Suzuki36:05 Manbiki Shonen on vintage PET 2001-N40:50 Thanks
Determining If A Cartridge is Ultimax / MAX Machine? Commodore 64 #retrogaming #c64 #8bit #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-10 | A fairly small number of Commodore 64 cartridges are actually Ultimax or Max Machine cartridges, that are compatible with that obscure Japanese-only game console Commodore released. How can one tell if a cartridge is Ultimax compatible? Test if pin 8 is grounded and pin 9 is not. See the full-length video "Dumping (And Playing) LeMans Ultimax Cartridge on the Commodore 64" on 8-Bit Show And Tell: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgk
Playing LeMans 1982 Commodore 64 #retrogaming #8bitssystem #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-09 | The core gameplay of LeMans racing on the Commodore 64: passing 1000 point bonus every 10 cars, extended time every 20000 points. How far can you go in this 1982 C64 launch title that uses paddle controllers? See the full-length video "Dumping (And Playing) LeMans Ultimax Cartridge on the Commodore 64" on 8-Bit Show And Tell: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgk
Why I Want to Dump This Commodore 64 Cartridge #8bit #c64 #retrogaming 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-08 | I want to inspect the code of my LeMans cartridge, but I can't use my Super Snapshot machine language monitor cartridge at the same time; only one or the other. See the full-length video "Dumping (And Playing) LeMans Ultimax Cartridge on the Commodore 64" on 8-Bit Show And Tell: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgk
LeMans 1982 Commodore 64 by HAL Labs #8bitssystem #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-07 | Playing LeMans on the Commodore 64 with paddle controllers. This 1982 game was a launch title for the Commodore 64, and was made by HAL Laboratory in Japan before they became famous. See the full-length video "Dumping (And Playing) LeMans Ultimax Cartridge on the Commodore 64" on 8-Bit Show And Tell: youtu.be/YV9WN-dTNgk
Dumping (And Playing) LeMans Ultimax Cartridge on the Commodore 64 (Part 1) 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-02-06 | 1982's LeMans racing game for the Commodore 64 is one of my all-time favourite cartridges, though it has a quirk that's always puzzled me. I'd like to disassemble the code for the game to figure out what's really going on, but my Super Snapshot machine language monitor isn't compatible with cartridge games. So I'd like to dump the cartridge ROM to a disk file, but that's especially tricky with these UltiMax mode cartridges. Join me as I finally figure out how to dump, load, and run this game from disk, in preparation for another video where I actually look at the game code in detail.Part 1: Dumping LeMans cartridge: This video!Part 2: Making the binary RUNnable: youtu.be/UKG00SyA0fEPart 3: This Game Cheats: youtu.be/tpKWu-WOz_ETo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OALinks:MDUMP and other dumping info: http://markus.brenner.de/cartridge/index.htmlZimmers: http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/firmware/misc/c64carts/index.htmlgo4retro X-Pander 3: store.go4retro.com/x-pander-3-slot-cartridge-port-expanderMax Machine video: youtu.be/NBYZeLO7rA0Index:0:00 A bit of info about LeMans2:31 Playing and talking about the game8:31 Identifying an UltiMax cartridge12:19 About Dumping cartridges17:50 Dumping the cartridge to a file20:32 Loading the dump26:00 Partway there: about UltiMax graphics29:22 Success!30:54 Loading a non-PRG binary from Zimmers36:48 Conclusion and thanks!
How to Determine Commodore 64 KERNAL Version #c64 #8bit #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-28 | Both POKE 1024,1 and ?PEEK(65408) will return different results depending on what KERNAL revision you have in your Commodore 64.A re-formatted excerpt from the long-form video "43-Year-Old INPUT Bug Fixed: From C64 to VIC-20" youtu.be/3WLbafg5Zjw
INPUT Bug on Commodore VIC-20 #8bit #vic20 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-27 | The VIC-20 and earlier Commodore 64 models have a bug in the INPUT statement in their built-in BASIC.A re-formatted excerpt from the long-form video "43-Year-Old INPUT Bug Fixed: From C64 to VIC-20" youtu.be/3WLbafg5Zjw
INPUT Command on Commodore VIC-20 #8bit #vic20 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-26 | A re-formatted excerpt from the long-form video "43-Year-Old INPUT Bug Fixed: From C64 to VIC-20" youtu.be/3WLbafg5Zjw
Using Commodore 64 BASIC Command Line Parameter to Change Border Colour #8bit #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-04 | It's actually pretty easy to add support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs by reading the line input buffer with some PEEKs. Here we use it to POKE 53280, the C64 border colour register. Long-form full video here: youtu.be/HC2--B9ZhUA
Examining the Commodore 64 Command Buffer With Machine Language Monitor #8bit #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-03 | Using the machine language monitor in the Super Snapshot cartridge to examine the input buffer as part of adding support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs. Long-form full video here: youtu.be/HC2--B9ZhUA
Adding Command Line-esque Parameters to C64 and C128 Programs 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-02 | It's actually pretty easy to add support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs by reading the line input buffer with some PEEKs. We examine how to do this, why this might be beneficial, and give some example code in BASIC and Assembly. We also learn a bit about how BASIC parses and interprets our code, and the internal structure of these commands and programs. And we look at the Commodore 128 feature to RUN a file from disk that further enhances the use of parameters.Download the D64 of today's code: 8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/runparams.d64To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAPrevious videos referenced:"About Commodore 64 BASIC Abbreviations": youtu.be/AYhuPM0KH1o "Cracking a Commodore 64 Game From Cassette: Livingstone, I Presume?": youtu.be/DDErGI2c7zk"4-Byte Commodore 64 Demo and Follow-up on 10 PRINT Orthogonal [32 bytes]": youtu.be/aMaMzsL9vVQ"Using Commodore 64 BASIC SYS Parameters in Machine Language": youtu.be/3ZV8LtpMbvA Index:0:00 Can parameters be added to a Commodore BASIC program?1:57 How EXAMPLE 1 works5:42 What's the point?7:15 Some problems9:12 EXAMPLE 2: More Robust10:55 BORDER: A slightly more useful example14:28 Rhymes with Orange: a tokenization problem16:02 Commodore 128 Mode: RUN "FILENAME"18:30 Turbo Macro Pro: Assembly example19:52 BASIC Header / Stub21:13 TXTPTR / rest of code walkthrough24:35 Modifying for border colour version25:36 Thanks!
Command-line-style Parameters on Commodore 64? #8bit #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-02 | It's actually pretty easy to add support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs by reading the line input buffer with some PEEKs. Long-form full video here: youtu.be/HC2--B9ZhUA
Commodore 64 Christmas #8bit #retrogaming #retro #c64 #shorts 8-Bit Show And Tell 2024-01-02 | It was December 1983 - What would Santa bring for me?Would I finally get my wish? My very own computer, with a SID chip.I wanted - and I got - a Commodore 64 Christmas.
A Procedurally Generated Christmas Song - Commodore 64 Sings #shorts #retro #8bit 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-12-25 | I fed the lyrics for dozens of Christmas songs and carols into NIALL and it generated these lyrics which I then programmed by Commodore 64 to display in BASIC, and used S.A.M. the Software Automatic Mouth to sing. To match the theme, I programmed a machine language routine that generated unique snowflake sprites and made them fall down the screen under control of a system interrupt routine.
Atari 2600(+) Games for Christmas 1983/2023: Chosen by my Kids 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-12-23 | I play 20 of my favourite Atari cartridges for my kids on our new Atari 2600+ so they can choose what game they'd like for Christmas 1983 in case that somehow became a decision they had to make. This somehow made sense to me when I realized that my kids' favourite console, the Nintendo Switch, was released in 2017, 40 years after the Atari VCS in 1977. In the same way the Switch is now 6 years old and still has life left in it, there were a lot of new games still coming out for the 6-year-old 2600 in 1983. I have convoluted ideas sometimes.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 1977-2017 Atari VCS to Nintendo Switch 3:10 Why I like the Atari 2600+5:06 Bowling (1979)8:07 Adventure (1980)10:57 Space Invaders (1980)13:01 Asteroids (1981)14:16 Pac-Man (1982)16:49 Yars' Revenge (1982)19:10 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1982)21:00 Cosmic Ark (1982)23:24 Pitfall! (1982)26:09 Berzerk (1982)27:53 Megamania (1982)29:13 Fast Food (1982)31:11 Spider-Man (1982)33:06 Vanguard (1982)34:50 River Raid (1982)36:53 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)40:12 TRON: Deadly Discs (1983)41:20 Phoenix (1983)43:30 Smurf (1983)46:13 Enduro (1983)49:46 Kids choose what games they want for Christmas54:40 Summary and thanks!
This Function Destroys Programs: MS-BASICs VAL() 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-12-21 | There's a bug lurking in the VAL() function of most early implementations of Microsoft BASIC that has the power to corrupt your program. We demonstrate it on the Commodore 64 and VIC-20, but it's present on many other 6502-based machines, as well as Z80 and even 6809 computers as discovered by many helpful people on the internets. We then attempt to explain why the bug happens: it's the result of a kind of nasty hack using Microsoft BASIC's evaluation routine combined with the particular edge case when an overflow error occurs.The VIC-20 Quick Reference Handbook by Jeff Daniels: jeffdaniels.itch.io/vic-20-quick-reference-handbookTool Kit: BASIC archive.org/details/Compute_s_Vic-20_Commodore_64_Tool_kit_Basic Allen Huffman's blog: subethasoftware.com/2023/08/17/color-basic-overflow-bug-same-as-commodores All the X-Tweets:twitter.com/8BitShowAndTell/status/1692238191720600008 twitter.com/mrdoornbos/status/1692313328209559923 twitter.com/xotmatrix/status/1693074790855102861 twitter.com/anderszapac/status/1692300818815283262 twitter.com/tlindner/status/1692368840569851958 Closing song lyrics "Call An Awesome Superhero" by Robin's son, aged 5.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 A bit about VAL()2:31 + Addition or Concatenation? 4:42 10 A=VAL("1E39"):REM SHOW BUG7:53 The VIC-20: VAL(TI$)11:45 Tool Kit: BASIC Explanation13:40 About the Overflow Error? 39 digits15:14 VAL() needs a null-terminated string18:30 Machine Language Monitor time22:22 Thanks to my patrons and X-Twitter pals!
38911 Bytes Free? Commodore 64s BASIC RAM 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-12-13 | The Commodore 64's famous blue-on-blue boot message says "38911 BASIC BYTES FREE". But it's supposedly a 64K RAM system, so where did the rest of the RAM go? Is it a scam? We go through the origin of the name Commodore 64, discuss how 64K of RAM was a pretty big deal in 1982, and then get into the details of the C64 memory map. Then we track down why we have 1 or 3 bytes less than a full 38K of RAM, depending on who you ask.The books I show are "20 GOTO 10: 10101001 facts about retro computers" by Steven Goodwin, and "On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore" by Brian Bagnall. The memory map inserts are from "The Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide".To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OALinks:VIC-30 Video: youtu.be/mcBWaxyW4oIIndex:0:00 Questions about 38911 bytes free1:57 How much RAM in 19825:05 Commodore 64 = 64 KB DRAM7:37 C64 Memory map - where does it go?11:11 16-bit addressing, bank switching13:40 Plus/4 and MSX: Constraints common!15:08 38K = 38912, not 38911! Location 204819:37 FRE(0)+2^16 = 38909 why??23:18 Machine Language Monitor - Super Snappy time26:57 Conclusion and thanks!
LOAD*,9 : Beyond Device 8 on Commodore 64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-12-03 | Lots of Commodore 64 software is hardcoded to only load from device 8, typically a 1541 disk drive, despite Commodore making it very easy for developers to support other device numbers. Join me as we take an exploratory survey of many productivity and game software packages to assess their compatibility with drive #9, and see if we can make more of them work with a bit of hacking. We also look at how easy it is to support other drive numbers, and finally try to solve a related mystery about using PEEK(186) as a parameter in a LOAD command on C64. It's fun!To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAInstructions on changing device number on Commodore 1541 disk drives:ist.uwaterloo.ca/~schepers/MJK/deviceaddress_switch.htmlIndex:0:00 Device Not Present? Setting to 9.3:16 Trying productivity software on device 9: Print Shop, Pocket Writer, more8:45 F-15 Strike Eagle12:42 Sub Battle Simulator Preview, The Great Nordic War17:35 Candidate22:00 Galaxian, BMX Racers26:34 Monty Plays Scrabble, Final Assault30:16 Ms. Pac-Man, Wiz Ball34:12 Top Gun, Mail Order Monsters, Ultimate Wizard37:34 Skate Rock, Gauntlet41:49 Tetris, The Movie Monster Game49:10 KERNAL Bug? LOAD"*",PEEK(186),155:51 JiffyDOS works; explained with SuperMON1:02:38 Thanks!
Microsoft BASIC-80 In Secret? VTechs PreBASIC 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-11-28 | While playing with the VTech PreComputer 1000 from 1988, I got curious about the origin of the Pre-BASIC V1.0 built-into it. Did VTech really make an original BASIC for this toy computer? Knowing that the system has a Z80 CPU, we'll examine the BASIC in situ to see if it matches Microsoft's BASIC-80 in substantial ways. While there seem to be some small changes and several omissions, we find it has much in common with BASIC-80 and other Microsoft BASICs such as those on the Commodore 64.Previous PreComputer Video: youtu.be/Mgxy-_HfZGU DJ's channel: youtube.com/c/DJSures BASIC-80 manual: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/microsoft/cpm/Microsoft_BASIC_Compiler_1980.pdf To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Previously...1:03 Is it MS BASIC?, -1=True, Line 0, Goto4:11 Maximum line number: 655295:56 String heap fun9:10 Maximum heap size10:55 Variable names13:01 Commands missing14:00 Floating point: single-precision "6 digit"15:32 Two-letter error codes, IF/ELSE17:18 Differences: CHR$(), RND()18:56 Undocumented: Integer variables, ON..GOTO, Multi-dimensional arrays22:13 Remnants: double-precision, hex, DEF FN26:05 BASICly sure it's BASIC-80, thanks!
Whats Wrong With Load*,8,1 or LOAD*,1 on C64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-11-25 | Robin's pedanticism gets set off by incorrect Commodore 64 LOAD statements seen on t-shirts and documentary film trailers. We'll examine what's wrong with them and why, and explain how to fix them. And along the way we might learn a thing or two about loading from cassette and why accuracy matters - at least to some people. To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAThe Commodore 64 Revolution (Documentary) Trailer: youtu.be/njyhisLCeHw Index:0:00 Details: A LOADed Rant?2:09 Load"*",8,15:12 LOAD"*",17:00 Trying to load * from tape11:45 How to load the first/next file on tape13:42 $E4E0 Disassembly: the pause16:18 PEEK(145) - the skip pause keys18:30 Vintage mistakes21:03 Magazine type-ins: accuracy matters21:58 Thanks to my patrons!
VTech PreComputer 1000: BASIC, Typing, Quiz Games - Just a Toy? 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-11-13 | Unlike most toy computers and other electronic gadgets, besides the regular math and trivia games, the VTech PreComputer 1000 has a decent keyboard that's good enough to touch-type on, and is programmable in BASIC, called "Pre-BASIC V1.0"! While it lacks a tape interface or any other permanent storage, and just has a one-line LCD screen, it's a fun self-contained and portable device that for $70 would have been great to bring to Grandma's in the '80s if you weren't rich enough to afford a TRS-80 Model 100 or 102 for $500 to $1000.Thanks very much to DJ Sures for lending it to me! Check out his channel with lots of NABU fun:youtube.com/c/DJSuresThe 8-Bit Guy covered some of the related V-Tech Laser computers which came before and after the PreComputer 1000: youtu.be/UJAdo2cE4pQTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAVTech's original name was Video Technology Limited. Index:0:00 Kid's toys?2:30 Look at system and box9:36 Trivia / quiz games: General, History, Geography, Sciene16:47 Math: Quiz, Fractions, Decimals, Mixed Calculation, Story Problems22:54 Calculator Mode24:22 Games: Typing Fun, Hangman, Scramble29:12 Typing Course33:49 Computer Drill: Example Programs, Guessing Z80 MHz38:10 BASIC Computer: 10 PRINT?45:01 No POKE, PEEK, SYS: but it does have SOUND47:13 Type-In Time: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star51:24 Dream Machine? Laser 50, Laser PC4? Thanks!
ZX Spectrum for USA: Timex Sinclair 2068 / BASIC Type-In 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-11-03 | The obscure Timex Sinclair 2068 is the North American version of the UK's famous Sinclair ZX Spectrum (aka Speccy) computer. We take a look at the box and a tour around the system, then attempt to type in a BASIC program with the T/S 2068's unique "one-touch" keyboard with the help of the "Timex Sinclair 2068 Beginner/Intermediate Guide" book by Fred Blechman. If we survive all that, we'll do a quick port of 10 PRINT since that's always a thing to do.Follow along in "Timex Sinclair 2068 Beginner/Intermediate Guide" by Fred Blechman:archive.org/details/TimexSinclair2068Manuals/TS2068-BeginnerIntermediateGuideMy first Timex Sinclair 1000 type-in: youtu.be/yxdxah0B3qoTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Bye bye Commodore? 2068 Box4:26 A little Timex computer history5:45 Looking around the computer10:58 Learning the T/S 2068 Keyboard16:50 The Devious DELETE Key20:17 Entering Line 1027:41 Lines 20, 3032:15 Lines 40-8037:41 Lines 100-22045:46 Running the Program50:48 10 PRINT54:31 Thanks!
A PETSCII Message from Hooked On A Feeling Blue Swede Singer Björn Skifs Decoded on Commodore 64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-10-25 | There's a PETSCII-encoded secret message on the cover of the 1984 solo album from Björn Skifs, who is famous as the singer of "Hooked On A Feeling" covered by his band Blue Swede that was a #1 hit song in 1974, and again in 2014 as part of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" soundtrack. We take a look at the record, including a survey of the writers of all the songs (a very accomplished group!) and then set about decoding the message with a trusty Commodore 64. We'll also take a stab at understanding the meaning of the extended hidden title. Thanks to Joergen and MagerValp for the help!To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Björn Skifs, Hooked On A Feeling, and Blue Swede2:55 Looking at the record8:12 IF/THEN - BASIC title? Hidden PETSCII!11:42 Type-In Time16:00 Decoding: Shift+Commodore and more...18:20 More Type-In: The Sleeve Message21:01 What does it mean?23:52 Thanks!
8-Bit Era Electronic Arts Logo Easter Egg Hunt 1983-1992: Commodore 64, Amiga, and more 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-10-16 | After sharing some VCFMW and Electronic Arts history, David Youd and I discuss EA's original logo which is (despite many schoolyard arguments) a cube, sphere, and tetrahedron and definitely probably not the letters E, O (or C), and A. We then start looking at the cover art for Electronic Arts releases from 1983 to 1992, and find that those very symbols (or their 2d equivalents of square, circle, and triangle) are hidden in many games for the Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari, Amiga, and MS-DOS platforms. This video was originally made for Commodore Retro eXpo 2023. Thanks to the organizers for including me in their event: crxevent.com Thanks to David Youd for all his support in making this video. Check out his Youtube channel: youtube.com/DavidYoudLinks mentioned:Oldskool PC: youtube.com/TheOldskoolPC8088 MPH demo: youtu.be/yHXx3orN35YDrink coasters from: etsy.com/shop/CoastyMarshmallowEaten by Grue podcast: monsterfeet.com/grueAmnesia Remembered book: berghahnbooks.com/title/AycockAmnesiaSWRAP 2005: lyonlabs.org/commodore/swrap2005/swrap2005.htmlRetro Tea Breaks Vol. 1: kickstarter.com/projects/retroteabreaks/retro-tea-breaks-vol-1-a-book-by-retromancave To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Intro1:01 VCFMW History2:23 Origin of this talk3:47 Before Electronic Arts was evil6:57 The EOA / ECA Loader8:10 Cube, Sphere, and Tetrahedron10:01 The hidden logo symbols12:32 Thanks to The Oldskool PC / Jim Leonard13:30 The process / criteria15:56 The Spoiler Fence16:47 1983: Hard Hat Mack, M.U.L.E...23:18 1984: Realm of Impossibility, Skyfox...25:18 1985: Adventure Construction Set, Racing Destruction Set, Bard's Tale...27:31 1986: Ultimate Wizard, Robot Rascals...31:28 1987: Legacy of the Ancients, Demon Stalkers...33:22 1988: Deathlord, F/A-18 Interceptor, Modem Wars...37:37 1989-1990: Populous, Keef the Thief, Magic Fly...39:04 1991-1992: Centurion: Defender of Rome, Black Crypt40:00 Dubious: Archon, Pinball Construction Set, Wasteland...44:57 None? Mail Order Monsters, Seven Cities of Gold...46:58 Keeping the hunt alive48:33 Thanks!
The Commodore 64 Assembler With A Deliberate Bug: Zeus64 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-10-06 | The Zeus 64 6510 machine language assembler package for the Commodore 64 has a bug lurking in it. Like, an actual digital bee or fly type thing that will buzz around your screen if you happen to send a particular instruction. Join me as we uncover this insect, and take a tour around its home, examining the features of this assembler and machine language monitor operating system.The Zeus64 source code example is a port from my original Turbo Macro Pro source which I went on about in great detail in this previous video called "Commodore 64 Programming Joystick-Controlled Sprites in Assembly PART TWO" - youtu.be/LSP5C49pq_gTo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Intro, Zeus 64 package3:05 Loading from cassette on PAL 64C4:32 Depressing isn't it - legit?5:39 First look at assembler9:46 The Bug Easter Egg16:32 Zeus 64: Differences to Turbo Macro Pro23:32 Nice Zeus assembler features27:14 Interesting Zeus ML monitor features34:15 Summary and Thanks / Patron Credits
99.8% Compatible? The C64 Mode of the Commodore 128 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-09-28 | The Commodore 128 has a highly accurate Commodore 64 mode built into it. Because of the huge games library for the C64, some C128s spent most of their time in C64 mode despite all the "real computer" advantages the C128 mode has. But C64 mode on the C128 is not perfect and some games will not work on it. In this video we'll show several examples, and where possible, provide explanations and fixes for the failures.To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAHere's a newer version of Dave Plummer's talk where Frantic Freddie is specifically mentioned: youtu.be/Xv1sohXaX_o?si=jzg_OsIQwYG_QTgs&t=559 Thanks to OddbOd for finding this!Thanks to James Poll for finding this video: youtu.be/Ig_5syuWUh0 - it's a talk given by Dave Plummer at the University of Regina in 2018 and at 9:55 he mentions meeting a more advanced C64 programmer named Kris (Hatelid) when Dave was 16. I think there's another video where Dave more specifically mentions Frantic Freddie, but this is close. Thanks James!Index:0:00 Intro: 99.8% compatible?2:48 Location $D030 - POKE 53296,1 - FAST5:27 Scrolls of Abadon on C64 and 1287:54 Fixing Scrolls10:24 Cohen's Towers on the C6413:02 Cohen's on the C128 - Fixing14:37 Wanted! Monty Mole on 64 and 12816:55 Fixing Monty Mole19:16 He-Man Ilearth Stone on 64 and 12821:26 Fixing Masters of the Universe26:14 Frantic Freddie on C6428:15 Freddie on 128 - $D5xx sound fix34:18 A bit of info from Kris Hatelid - developer35:47 Another SID mirror example in BASIC on 64 and 12838:20 Location 1 difference - cassette example42:23 More location 1 - CAPS LOCK - Cassette Play button46:16 1571 Problems? 48:45 Gemstone Warrior v1.151:22 Autoduel & Moebius fail on 157152:53 Autoduel & Moebius work on 154156:51 A bit more info...58:34 In Conclusion - and thanks!
Jim Butterfields 1986 Computer Diary - Commodore Reference Diary 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-09-08 | We take a look at Jim Butterfield's Diary - not his personal diary, but his Commodore Reference Diary which was published in the UK so Commodore fans could have a combination day planner and Commodore reference book with them at all times. This particular book was signed by Jim and contains a large collection of POKEs and other notes by the previous owner - who through a MUPET sidequest (a disk drive multiplexing system for Commodore PETs that I got from Jim many years ago) and some hand-writing analysis we determine *spoiler* was not Jim Butterfield.Previous video mentioned:Black Book of C128: youtu.be/AdJjqUEeInATo support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OAIndex:0:00 Diary?2:15 MUPET: in search of Jim Butterfield's signature4:17 A letter from Jim: yes, Jim signed it6:26 Back to the diary8:01 The Commodore Range of Computers & Peripherals10:48 Important Keys, BASIC, Disk Commands13:45 Simple Techniques and Handy Locations19:23 Memory Architectures & Maps24:30 Useful Programs, Sound, Machine Language, Glossary, Normal People Stuff27:28 POKE collection - by Jim?30:49 POKEs demonstrated36:39 The rest38:15 Conclusion and thanks!
Fastest C64 10 PRINT (one-line) With New Benchmark BASIC? 8-Bit Show And Tell 2023-09-01 | What's the fastest one-line 10 PRINT (maze) program we can write in Commodore 64 BASIC? To make experimental benchmarking easier, I created a small utility called Benchmark BASIC (download link below) that soft-patches the C64 BASIC and KERNAL ROMs to automatically report the run time of programs like 10 PRINT once the screen is full. Thanks to Alex Johnson for his speedy two-line version of 10 PRINT that helped inspire this video. P.S. The thumbnail is from a joke contained *IN* this video - this actual frame appears just 11 seconds in. And hilariously, Youtube automatically suggested it as the thumbnail!To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell 2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OADownload the Benchmark BASIC .d64:8bitshowandtell.com/downloads/bbasic.d64To use: mount/attach the .d64 imageLOAD"BENCHMARK BASIC",8,1SYS 49152 to startSTOP+RESTORE keys to disableTo load the source code (requires REU):LOAD"TMP+REU",8,1SYS 32768to view disk directory: [back arrow] *to load: [back arrow] Lfile name: bb33 (or whatever latest filename is on disk)cursor keys to navigate source file[back arrow] 3press S to startThe REU is required to assemble to RAM at $C000 (where Benchmark BASIC lives) because Turbo Macro Pro also uses that memory range. But if you don't have access to an REU, a workaround is to assemble to disk with [back arrow] 5, and then give a filename. Once assembly is complete, you can reset the computer, load the object code with ,8,1 and SYS 49152 to start it.Video "Optimizing With Integers in Commodore 64 BASIC?": youtu.be/wo14rDnGUbYIndex:0:00 Intro: 10 PRINT1:36 Alex's fast 2-line 10 PRINT5:15 TI$ benchmarking "the old way": reals vs. integers9:09 Shortcomings of TI$ benchmarking10:48 Introducing Benchmark BASIC12:56 Optimizing classic 10 PRINT with BBASIC17:11 Optimizing Alex's version21:40 Making a faster one-line 10 PRINT26:34 Unrolling it for extra speed29:04 Addendum: Even more speed!30:50 Future improvements?33:00 Thanks!
