Earlier quoted context omitted.
That was Zarch : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNXypBxNGMo This was the gold standard at the time.
Very much like the Zeewolf https://youtu.be/tVwScInZfP8?t=159 I wonder what the connection is.
Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
31–40 of 61 posts
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#32I would hope it runs something other than BASIC. BASIC is a terrible language, and the only reason it became popular is that there was a book published with a lot of games written in that language. People buying a home computer wanted games, and the commercial game market was initially nonexistent, so people wanted a computer with BASIC, since then they assumed they could play those games. The designers of this new c…
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#33I would hope it runs something other than BASIC. BASIC is a terrible language, and the only reason it became popular is that there was a book published with a lot of games written in that language. People buying a home computer wanted games, and the commercial game market was initially nonexistent, so people wanted a computer with BASIC, since then they assumed they could play those games. The designers of this new c…
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very much like the Zeewolf https://youtu.be/tVwScInZfP8?t=159 I wonder what the connection is.
Zarch : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarch , 1987 Zeewolf : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeewolf , 1994
OTOH, the sqare grid terrain can be traced to at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_Fire although that was a sequel to a completely different game
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Likewise, I think Tramiel could have done something similar instead of diving down the 68000 path with the Atari ST. The Atari ST was built from scratch in less than 8 months after the deal to license the Amiga chipset fell trouhg. The ST is an amazing engineering feat considering the insane schedule. I agree on you that the 68k is a terrible CPU for gaming, but it got better when there was some cache added to it, s…
I always wonder if considering the processor and the “chunky pixels” of the Archimedes if had had something like a Wolfenstein or Doom back in 1987 if it would have driven sales enough to change. Ofcourse that was probably pretty unlikely considering the Acorn/Olivetti bet so heavily on the education market.
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#36Any tips getting into mechanical design ? I love designing PCBs, creating a schematic, then laying out the component and traces in the most elegant way is very satisfying. However when it comes to 3D stuff I wouldn't know where to begin.
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#37I know this comes up a bit too often on HN but it's pretty, um, glaring, in this case.
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, the death of 8-bit systems was obvious by 89, but so was the death of the 68000. Motorola was already pushing the failed 88000 by the late 80s. And the 68000 itself was killed off only a couple years later. So I don't really agree with you here. The 68000 was as big of a dead end, and IMHO was a terrible CPU for home computers and gaming machines. It was fast for 16 and 32 bit integer arithmetic, so basically go…
> The Amiga would have been more responsive What was the problem with Amiga responsiveness? Never heard about this. Interrupt response? What? For several years, it had the best games. The bitplane-based graphics system became a hindrance with FPS-games but that was never about the CPU.
Also, as far as 68000-based machines goes, the X68000 kicks the Amiga's ass.
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#39I would hope it runs something other than BASIC. BASIC is a terrible language, and the only reason it became popular is that there was a book published with a lot of games written in that language. People buying a home computer wanted games, and the commercial game market was initially nonexistent, so people wanted a computer with BASIC, since then they assumed they could play those games. The designers of this new c…
BASIC is a terrible language, and the only reason it became popular is that there was a book published with a lot of games written in that language. Not even close. BASIC was a very powerful language. Not "powerful" in the way we think of languages today with OOP and all that, but powerful in its flexibility. Each machine had its own version of BASIC that made the most of each machine's unique capabilities. Games wer…
Seriously, there was no support for what made the C64 the C64 in the C64 BASIC! You wanted grpahics? PEEK and POKE. Sound? PEEK and POKE.
Re: Building the Commodore computer that should have existed
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, the death of 8-bit systems was obvious by 89, but so was the death of the 68000. Motorola was already pushing the failed 88000 by the late 80s. And the 68000 itself was killed off only a couple years later. So I don't really agree with you here. The 68000 was as big of a dead end, and IMHO was a terrible CPU for home computers and gaming machines. It was fast for 16 and 32 bit integer arithmetic, so basically go…
>Likewise, I think Tramiel could have done something similar instead of diving down the 68000 path with the Atari ST. The Atari ST was built from scratch in less than 8 months after the deal to license the Amiga chipset fell trouhg. The ST is an amazing engineering feat considering the insane schedule. I agree on you that the 68k is a terrible CPU for gaming, but it got better when there was some cache added to it, s…