55 replies to this topic

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

Well, the first C64 poll (1982-1983) went pretty good and since I had no other suggestions in the pipe, we're continuing with another selection, completing 1983 and starting into 1984.

Of course Jumpman will win this, but it will be interesting to see which'll come in second

Greetings,
Manuel

[vdub_bobby]

Interesting that of that list, (at least) three are currently* in development.

Well, kind of:
Lode Runner <-> Leprechaun** (Eric B)
Boulder Dash <-> Not Boulder Dash™ (Andrew D)
Jumpman <-> Jumpman (Manuel or ?)

*Using "currently" very loosely.

**Admittedly, Leprechaun isn't a straight port.

EDIT: Have any of these lists/polls ever had that much current development?

Edited by vdub_bobby, Wed Feb 1, 2006 1:28 PM.

[~llama]

I voted Boulder Dash because NotBD is/was so tantalyzingly close.

[Cybergoth]

vdub_bobby, on Wed Feb 1, 2006 6:54 PM, said:

Jumpman <-> Jumpman (Manuel or ?)
*Using "currently" very loosely.

Consult my blog for the current status of Jumpman

vdub_bobby, on Wed Feb 1, 2006 6:54 PM, said:

EDIT: Have any of these lists/polls ever had that much current development?

Hm... don't think so... also so far is M-4 the only title from such a list that ever materialized for real

[Foxsolo2000]

For me it would have to be Boulder Dash

[vdub_bobby]

Cybergoth, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 2:42 AM, said:

Hm... don't think so... also so far is M-4 the only title from such a list that ever materialized for real

[ZylonBane]

ARGGHH!!!

Once again, only about half the games on that list are C64 originals. The rest are ports.

Did the C64 really have such a weak selection of original software?

[Andrew Davie]

~llama, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 6:04 PM, said:

I voted Boulder Dash because NotBD is/was so tantalyzingly close.

15 minutes of Atari 2600 Boulder Dash ™ -- 148MB download.

[jaybird3rd]

ZylonBane, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 3:50 PM, said:

Once again, only about half the games on that list are C64 originals. The rest are ports.

Did the C64 really have such a weak selection of original software?

What's worse is that hardcore C64 fans will swear up and down that there are no other versions of those games. The 400/800 was where Archon and a lot of other "C64 games" originated, but it never gets any recognition for it.

And then there are the pirated hacks (like "Archon III") that C64 people always seem to think were legitimate releases ...

Speaking of Archon, I think a 2600 version of Archon II would be difficult because the initial playfield has the players lined up together in one horizontal row. The original Archon, on the other hand, is a more interesting possibility that I'd like to see someone attempt on the 2600.

Edited by jaybird3rd, Thu Feb 2, 2006 3:10 PM.

[vdub_bobby]

jaybird3rd, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 1:07 PM, said:

ZylonBane, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 3:50 PM, said:

Once again, only about half the games on that list are C64 originals. The rest are ports.

Did the C64 really have such a weak selection of original software?

What's worse is that hardcore C64 fans will swear up and down that there are no other versions of those games. The 400/800 was where Archon and a lot of other "C64 games" originated, but it never gets any recognition for it.

And then there are the pirated hacks (like "Archon III") that C64 people always seem to think were legitimate releases ...

It isn't like Manuel won't take suggestions for lists of games. If you don't like the ones he comes up with, suggest some of your own!

But sheesh, does the complaining move the discussion forward in any productive way?

[Cybergoth]

ZylonBane, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 8:50 PM, said:

Once again, only about half the games on that list are C64 originals. The rest are ports.

Cybergoth, on Tue Jan 3, 2006 8:37 AM, said:

Games get ported to other systems since the beginning. Get used to it

[jaybird3rd]

vdub_bobby, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 4:11 PM, said:

It isn't like Manuel won't take suggestions for lists of games.  If you don't like the ones he comes up with, suggest some of your own! 

That's why I added one to my post.

[MacbthPSW]

ZylonBane, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 3:50 PM, said:

Once again, only about half the games on that list are C64 originals. The rest are ports.

Did the C64 really have such a weak selection of original software?

Manuel's been choosing games (so far) from near the beginning of the C64's life, before it was well established, so it's only natural that many of the games are ports of games from other platforms that had been around longer (aka A8 and Apple II).

If Manuel gets to 1985-1987 you'll see many more titles that are C64 originals. Then another year or two and things turn around again where the 16-bit machines (Atari ST and Amiga especially) have most of the originals, and the C64 gets the ports again.

jaybird3rd, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 4:07 PM, said:

What's worse is that hardcore C64 fans will swear up and down that there are no other versions of those games.

If you're implying that all hardcore C64 fans think this, you're wrong. Sounds like you're talking to people that have a "C64 rulez and everything else absolutely sucks", ignorant attitude. Most hardcore C64 fans that actually know stuff appreciate many 8-bit computers, and can appreciate the strengths of each platform. Except the Spectrum - it really does suck.

Quote

The 400/800 was where Archon and a lot of other "C64 games" originated, but it never gets any recognition for it.

Just to prove you wrong - Archon and a lot of other "C64 games" originated on the 400/800, and I recognize it.

[ZylonBane]

And hence-- if, say, Archon II was ported to the 2600, it would most logically be ported from the original version -- which the C64 version is not.

It's like putting up a "Which NES games would you like to see on the 2600?" poll, then listing Ultima, Ballblazer, Choplifter, Pac-Man, and Tetris.

[MacbthPSW]

ZylonBane, on Thu Feb 2, 2006 11:35 PM, said:

And hence-- if, say, Archon II was ported to the 2600, it would most logically be ported from the original version -- which the C64 version is not.

It's like putting up a "Which NES games would you like to see on the 2600?" poll, then listing Ultima, Ballblazer, Choplifter, Pac-Man, and Tetris.

Yes, although most of those cases are more extreme, of course - the C64 version (in at least some of those cases) would be released just months after the original, not years later.

I also wonder about exactly how we define a port. If a game is designed to make full use of a certain platform's strengths, and then completed on that platform with no work done on another platform until the game is completed, all subsequent versions of that game on other platforms are definitely ports imo.

But if a game is designed with other platforms in mind from the beginning, and/or work is done concurrently on other platforms, are all versions that are released after the first one called ports? Is there always just one original?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I ported Thrust from the C64 and not from the original BBC version. Anything wrong with that too?

[Cybergoth]

ZylonBane, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 4:35 AM, said:

It's like putting up a "Which NES games would you like to see on the 2600?" poll, then listing Ultima, Ballblazer, Choplifter, Pac-Man, and Tetris.

Huh?!? Why would someone credit a bunch of C64 titles to the NES?

[ZylonBane]

Thomas Jentzsch, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 3:30 AM, said:

I ported Thrust from the C64 and not from the original BBC version. Anything wrong with that too?

Eh, they look pretty much identical to me.

But it does get back to the question I asked earlier-- were any of the truly memorable 8-bit era games created on the C64 first? It seems like most of the famous game developers were working on the Atari and Apple.

[Cybergoth]

ZylonBane, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 2:42 PM, said:

But it does get back to the question I asked earlier-- were any of the truly memorable 8-bit era games created on the C64 first?

MacbthPSW, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 4:08 AM, said:

If Manuel gets to 1985-1987 you'll see many more titles that are C64 originals.

[ZylonBane]

I said "memorable". Not "exist".

"Of all the C64 games released between 1985 and 1987, this is without doubt one of them."

[Cybergoth]

Here's some:

Paradroid
Silent Service
Winter Games
Gunship
International Karate
They Stole a Million
Uridium
Barbarian
California Games
Nebulus

[vdub_bobby]

What system(s) were Hardball! and Pitstop originally written for?

[www.atarimania.com]

I'm fairly sure the C64 and A8 versions of International Karate were developed exactly at the same time. Computer & Video Games has a story on this I believe.

HardBall! was C64 first. Don't know about Pitstop, I think it appeared on the C64, A8 and Coleco simultaneously.

--
Atari Frog
http://www.atarimania.com

[ZylonBane]

I'm pretty sure Pitstop was a C64 original. Epyx was always more of a C64 house.

Weren't Paradroid and Nebulus ports from the Spectrum? The C64 seemed to get a lot of Spectrum ports.

And wasn't Barbarian originally an Amiga game?

I've never even heard of They Stole a Million.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

ZylonBane, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 6:47 PM, said:

Weren't Paradroid and Nebulus ports from the Spectrum? The C64 seemed to get a lot of Spectrum ports.

Paradroid doesn't even exist for the Spectrum (instead Hewson did Quazatron). Nebulus was released for the C64 and Spectrum in 1987.