My name is Tom and I’m looking for beta testers for a new game I have finished developing for the Commodore 64. This is a pirate themed adventure game, which is still currently untitled.
This game was written in the native commodore 64 version of BASIC and due to its 38k memory limitations for BASIC programs this game has been crammed into just over 32k of memory, leaving some room for alterations and finishing touches.
The game is limited to a simple two word parser which recognises up to 60 verbs and over 20 objects across 64 rooms.
The game is complete and I’ve tested it for as many bugs as I can find but I would like some testers to play at and give me feedback. All kinds of comments, feedback, bug reports, transcripts are more than welcome.
The program is a .PRG file below, which should run in any popular C64 emulator as well as on an actual Commodore 64. I would recommend VICE or CCS64.
If you are interested in playing this game then please PM me and provide an email address. I will arrange to make the file available to you.
Any questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you in advance.
The game can be played on a Commodore 64 emulator such as Vice or CCS64 which are available for free. Any body who wants to beta test I will send the game file and links to emulators if required.
That’s amazing. I don’t wanna pass up on a chance for the game to be tested on some proper hardware! If you’re up for it, send me a PM and we can sort out sending the game over.
what 64 do you have ? a brown “breadbox” or the later cream “aerodynamic” model ? I have owned the former, heavily used for text and text-graphic adventures and programming, and I never considered “clunky” the keyboard (whose never broke, notwhistanding said very heavy usage during mid-80s…)
I have the original “breadbox” C64. I have had it since new. I had most of the extras and lots of software disks back in the day. I have moved to many destinations since the 80s and the only thing I managed to keep on the shelf was the C64 itself. I moved this game over to the C64 using an SD card based disk drive adapter. The first attempt ended up with a wiped disk. Turned out the C64 is limited to a 16 character file name. After shortening the game name to tomadvent.prg it loaded up fine. I’m looking forward to exploring the game further this weekend.
The game is incredible. The graphics and narrative are quite fun. Tom is an exceptional programmer and writer. Tom would have been a premier writer back in the Infocom days. He is great today, just in a different market.
PS. Even though my C64 is like new, the keyboard is noting like a modern keyboard. The key placement is unusual and it is certainly not conducive to modestly fast touch typing. Lots of missed key strokes. But then, that could just be me.
closing the keyboard OT, I’m old enough to have actually learned to type on a mechanical keyboard, so the fast-typing is perhaps a mere YMMV issue; on the unusual placement, well, I’m convinced that on this keyboard, if a key will fail, will be pgUp (mapped to restore, and roughly in the same place… ends getting the very same hard treatment during VICE sessions, 'nuff said so, also habits weight )
Hi everyone. Just an update regarding this game. I have implemented some changes based on the feedback I have had so far, but I’m still looking for testers for this so I can get as much feedback as possible before I will call this game “finished”.
Changes I’ve made so far are:
Renamed file ‘scurvy.prg’
Added extra hint to the HELP routine.
Made some puzzle amendments.
Key presses are cleared after being prompted to press any key.
Implemented the use of verb abbreviations, including L,X,I.
Fixed several small bugs.
Expanded several verb subroutines.
Added additional verbs and subroutines.
Amended command prompt.
Toned down the pirate language slightly to make the text more readable.
Please contact me if you’re interested in testing this game. Thanks ahead of time
so, also habits weight )