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Archives for January 2022

2022 Reset64 4KB Craptastic Game Competition

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We’re excited to announce the 2022 Reset C64 4KB game coding competition. This year’s competition theme is once again…. Craptastic!

“What the bloom’n heck does craptastic mean?”, I hear you ask.

It certainly doesn’t mean crap, although it can! Craptastic can mean ludicrous, bonkers, outrageous, funny, wacky, far out, and silly. The theme simply implies that the compo is just for a bit of fun, not a serious coding competition. You are more than welcome to make an excellent game to submit for the compo. Your game may contain some humour or silliness to fit more with the theme, but it doesn’t have to!

2020 Craptastic Comp Winner: Fall by Megastyle

In our previous competitions, some entries were truly excellent, others excellent but silly, others truly awful but funny! It’s just a chance for people to do something a little different if they wish and explore ideas/concepts that wouldn’t normally work well in a more serious compo.

Please remember that this competition is limited to 4KB. Yes, any entry submitted can be no more than 4KB when compressed. If your game is more than 1 file, then all the game files put together must not exceed the 4KB limit. This includes hi-score save files.

We want craptastic game entries. Remember, the key word here is fun. We want both coders and players alike to have fun and enjoy this comp!

Submit your entries to RESET64 (via email) by 30th June, 2022 (23:59:59 GMT).

Take a look at our previous Craptastic compo entries from 2018 and 2020 to help draw inspiration!

RULES

The basic rules for the competition are as follows:

  • The competition deadline is 23:59:59 GMT on the 30th June, 2022. All entries to be submitted to [email protected] by the deadline or will be deemed ineligible.
  • All entrants must register at [email protected]
  • Entrants are free to preview screenshots and videos of their game(s) to other publications/websites.
  • The competition will only begin when there are at least 5 registered entrants.
  • All submitted games MUST be 4KB or less (when compressed or uncompressed), and executable on a stock C64 on either or each of tape, disk and cartridge. Your submission may have a separate docs file (either as a C64 executable or a txt file, which doesn’t count towards the 4KB cap). However, hi-score saver files will count towards the cap.
  • The games must be previously unreleased and be your own work, whether that be by yourself or as part of a collaboration.
  • PAL must be supported, with additional NTSC support optional (but encouraged).
  • Participants may submit multiple entries, either as an individual or within a team. Team entries must be registered by an individual, and any potential prizes will be sent to the registered individual only.
  • Entries should be submitted exclusively to RESET64 by the competition deadline. Please feel free to share your entry as you wish after the competition has ended (after the compo deadline has passed).
  • There will be a panel of judges (TBA), and entries will be scored on a point distribution basis across several criteria. The decision of the panel is final.
  • Games must be submitted as freeware.
  • Games will be published by Reset64 (not necessarily exclusively) on a future disk compilation for the whole world to enjoy, after the competition has concluded. All entries will be made available on the Reset64 itch.io site after the compo concludes.
  • Games must not be released before the competition deadline, or will become exempt from scoring and will be deemed ineligible.

We reserve the right to change, add or delete rules during the competition if deemed necessary!

2nd place in the 2020 Craptastic Comp: Dots by James

SCORING SYSTEM

The scoring system used for Craptastic is very simple. Each game will be scored against 7 criteria, each worth 5 points. An entry can score up to 35 points. When the panel has scored each game accordingly, the totals for each individual game will be divided by the number of judges to produce a mean average. The average will be the game’s final score.

The criteria that each game will be evaluated on are:

  • Originality – New idea or “rip off”? Off the wall ideas encouraged.
  • Concept – Quality of game design, is it fun, is it bonkers, is it craptastic?
  • Execution – Execution of design, taking into account controls and other factors such as execution.
  • Presentation – Quality of graphics, audio and overall presentation. Supremely bad can be seen as a positive in some cases!
  • Gameplay – A measure of how enjoyable the game is to play.
  • Lasting Appeal – replay value, addictiveness.
  • OMG factor – when you see it, do you think “wtf!?” This is the true measure of craptasticness!

If a panel member has entered a game themselves, then the number of points that they can award will be adjusted (in this example, to 5) and they will not score their own release.

NOTE: CSDB will not be used for voting. Also, entries should not be uploaded to CSDB, or elsewhere until after the competition has closed. Feel free to post screenshots or info though.

PRIZES

A craptastic gaming comp requires craptastic prizes, right? We have some fantastic prizes lined up for this year’s compo thanks to some very generous sponsors.

A big thank-you to the following sponsors and supporters:

ausretrogamer

More sponsors to be announced!

Unkle K / Reset64
Official Twitter account for Reset64 Magazine – dedicated to the world’s favourite 8-bit computer!

Follow Reset64 Magazine on Twitter

 

 

 

 



Regressing To A Simpler Time With Modern Devices

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It is amazing how far technology has come in the last few decades, with a super computer in our pockets and gaming consoles that blur the line between reality and the virtual world.

We are in awe of our smartphones and can’t even imagine what our 15 year old self would have thought of this contraption if we were able to time travel back to the 80s. Back in the old days, we would play and then trade or sell our last gen system to fund the next big shiny new gen gaming system – this cycle was repeated for close to 3 decades! As we have gotten older and perhaps wiser, we keep yearning for the good old days, hence why we have immersed ourselves in retro gaming, reliving and revelling in games and systems from our distant past that gave us (and are still giving us) much joy.

The PocketCHIP beast!

Anyone for tennis?

Even with all of the classic gaming systems and games we have in our possession to intoxicate ourselves with nostalgia, we felt like something was missing, but we didn’t know what. We then stumbled upon contemporary technological marvels that stirred up something deep within us that made us take note. Thanks to playing retro-inspired games on the fantasy video game console, the PICO-8, we went down the rabbit hole of finding out more about playing pixel perfect 8-bit style games on modern devices, which also allowed us to tinker and do other stuff like coding! Welcome to the world of the PocketCHIP and Arduboy FX! Yeah, yeah, we are aware that you can play 8-bit style games on modern consoles, but these two little beauties are different – they are simple (in comparison), yet powerful, and very very elegant indeed.

Bit of Linux action

The Arduboy FX modded to be used as a gamepad for playing PICO-8 games on the PocketCHIP!

Selecting our next PICO-8 game

The PocketCHIP and Arduboy FX are both marvellous technological achievements, which fit the bill of being modern enough to be able to get on the net, code, tinker and also create our own games! The fact that you can also play games that other people have created is certainly the cherry on top!



Born To Play Pac-Man

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Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.

Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉



Legacy of Kain – The Complete History

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It’s time to look at the entire behind-the-scenes history of the Legacy of Kain franchise including Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and everything in-between! Thanks to Slope’s Game Room 🙂


source: Slope’s Game Room



Very Cool Tabletop Arcade Cabinets

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Check out these amazing tabletop arcade cabinets created by Hidecade!

According to Hidecade, the Xevious tabletop arcade is complete with a vertical screen and a JAMMA harness – which is totally mind-blowing! Oh how we wish these were for sale 😉

source: Arcade Cabinets on ameblo.jp



Boba Fett Gets His Own Fortnite Skin

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Warning: This article features Book of Boba Fett spoilers!

Boba Fett is hot right now. The Star Wars character has his own hit show on Disney+ and action figures of Fett are in high demand by collectors. Boba is cool again like he was in 1978, when he was introduced in the “Star Wars Holiday Special” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” in 1980.

Now, Disney has announced the bounty hunter’s addition to Fortnite. The Boba Fett skin in the battle royale is available to purchase by itself or as part of a Boba Fett Set. The set includes the bounty hunters Z-6 Jetpack back accessories, Gaffi Stick pickax, and Fett’s Starship glider. Several Star Wars characters, like The Mandalorian, Kylo Ren, and Rey have their own Fortnite skins. The release of “The Book of Boba Fett” is the reason for the addition of Boba.

I never saw Fortnite broadening their revenue stream with merchandise, like blankets, toys, and backpacks. The game is a phenomenon. Star Wars and Fortnite joining forces (no pun intended) is a perfect business collaboration. I see Star Wars and Fortnite merchandise out of the corner of my eye at my local Target.

image source: Epic Games

The Disney+ series is introducing Boba Fett to a whole new generation of Star Wars fans. The first three episodes of “The Book of Boba Fett” have had moments of brilliance, and moments of incredibly slow pacing. For the first two episodes of the series, Kevin Costner should get a cheque from Disney. There are some odd similarities between “Dances with Wolves” and some of Boba Fett’s scenes with the Tusken Raiders. Banthas, the creatures that the Tusken Raiders and Boba ride, really get slaughtered in this series. What did the banthas do? The banthas’ deaths were shocking and seemed unnecessary.

In the first episode, I enjoyed seeing how Boba got out of the Sarlacc pit, or the Great Pit of Carkoon. It’s even better when you go back and watch “Return of the Jedi” again. I wish we could have seen more of Boba in the Sarlacc pit. How long was he in there?

I love the veteran actor Danny Trejo but seeing him as the Rancor wrangler in the third episode was a little jarring. The third episode had some problems, but I still enjoyed it. The chase scene through Mos Espa at the end of the most recent episode was tedious and unintentionally cliche. And there was fruit. A lot of fruit.

Will there be other characters from “The Book of Boba Fett” that’ll get their own Fortnite skin? Time will tell on an app or gaming platform not far, far away.



Masters Of The Universe ‘Remastered’ Exhibition

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Thanks to our friend and sometimes contributor, Dr Brant Raven, for informing us about Radio Velvet’s Masters of the Universe “Remastered” Exhibition (and store) in Melbourne.

As huge MOTU fans, this exhibition, museum, store and everything in between is right up our alley! Thank you to Radio Velvet Clothing for giving us a hit of nostalgia!

Now, if you are in Melbourne and are a MOTU fan, then get to the 1st floor, St. Collins Lane at 260 Collins St (between 10am and 4pm every day) before the end of January 2022! Oh yeah, the exhibition is totally free, so what are you waiting for, go now!

PS: If you need more convincing, check out the article with heaps of pics at A Nice Home.

story & image source: A Nice Home



Paw Patrol Super Hang-On

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Our very good friend and Guinness World Record holder for creating the Largest playable Game and Watch device, Dr. Tom Tilley, has been keeping busy during the Festive Season with a cool new mod!

Spotting a Paw Patrol toy for $5 in his local op-shop, Dr. Tom thought how awesome and fun would it be to make this toy into a Super Hang-On controller – and we have to agree! Upon showing Lil Ausretrogamer this amazing mod, she was excited just as much as we were!

Before you say, “but the toy was in a working state”, relax, Tom found room inside to fit a joystick potentiometer with a 3D printed guide so it could pick up the steering without damaging the toy. The joystick and three buttons from the handlebars were connected to a Raspberry Pi Pico that Dr. Tom programmed to act as a USB joystick controller. The best bit is, when you’re done playing Super Hang-On, you just unplug the Raspberry Pi and reconnect the buttons to restore the original functionality of the toy. Now that is cool!


source: WithProfessorTom



Handheld Emulation Battle: Anbernic RG280V vs PS Vita

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Emulation is fraught with so much controversy, sometimes for good reason. In this post, we won’t be getting into the moral discussion of emulation nor it’s comparison to playing games in their native format/system. With our recent acquisition of the Anbernic RG280V, we have been asked multiple times, is it better that the PS Vita? Well, as with any comparison, it all depends on the use cases, sprinkled with personal preferences, like playing in a vertical (RG280V) or horizontal (PS Vita) orientation, is it pocketable or does it have an OLED screen, to name just a few.

Let’s get one thing straight, we aren’t comparing apples with apples here. The PS Vita, even though it’s getting long in the tooth, is a powerful beast with an awesome OLED screen (the 1000 series), able to play and emulate everything up till the PSP, plus everything in between like the Nintendo 64, GBA and Sega’s Dreamcast. In comparison, the RG280V is able to play and emulate all your old classic 8, 16 and 32-Bit systems without any issues, including the PS1 and GBA games. So, just on sheer number of systems that can be emulated, the PS Vita wins the battle. However, be mindful that modding the Vita to play emulators isn’t for the faint of heart, so be prepared to manually configure it to make it all work properly. For what it’s worth, getting PS1 games to emulate properly on the Vita was rage inducing. The RG280V on the other hand is (almost) plug and play – just drop your games (legally obtained roms, of course) in their relevant folders and you are good to go – all configuration is set for you, including button mapping and the like. Oh yeah, the RG280V also boots up in less than 10 seconds, so you’ll be playing on it in no time compared to the boot-up sequence on the PS Vita.

We honestly love both of these handhelds, but we do find ourselves playing all the classics more often on the RG280V as it’s easier to setup and use, the D-pad, buttons (face and shoulder) and the screen (and its aspect ratio) are amazing and we absolutely love its form factor – it’s such a pocketable unit when compared to the PS Vita.

So which do you choose? Well, if you like horizontal orientation, and OLED screen and are technically inclined and don’t mind tinkering for hours on end to mod and setup the Vita, then that is the way to go. If you prefer to spend less (under AU$120), have a powerful pocketable little unit with a portrait orientation and its ease of setup and use, then the RG280V is for you – unless you have massive hands, then we’d say go for the PS Vita.

No matter which one you go with, you honestly can’t go wrong. Happy gaming peeps!

The RG280V boots up in no time when compared to the PS Vita

Atari Lynx battle! 

APB – horizontal v portrait!

Ninja Five-O baby! Both systems emulate really well.

Our current favourite emulation handheld – it is rock solid

 



Ausretrogamer Is 10 Years Old!

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Who would have thought that when we first started ausretrogamer.com in January 2012 that 10 years later we would still be here! Time certainly flies when you are having fun.

Today marks a major milestone for us at ausretrogamer as we have reached the magical decade mark! When starting our site and social media channels in 2012, we honestly didn’t have any expectations that we would still be around in 2022 – but we are glad that we are!

We have been pleasantly surprised over the years to find so many like-minded people who enjoy playing and talking about all the stuff we love, from obscure video games from the 1970s to those schoolyard-type discussions on which 8-bit computer was best (we all know it was the Commodore 64!).

Ausretrogamer has also allowed us to meet a lot of you in real life, either at events like PAX Aus or local pinball competitions or computing club events – which have been a priceless experience. We are humbled to call all of you our good friends. Nostalgia is a powerful force that binds us all – long may it continue!

To all the awesome folks that have contributed and to those that are still contributing content and everyone that engages with us, thank you very much – you all rock our world!

Looking forward to another decade full of retro gaming (and pinball) goodness! 😉