Commodore 64 Thread - Page 25

Devo · 27 February 2019, 18:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

The C64 looks much better via S-Video cable on a decent CRT TV/monitor, no doubt. That's what Colodore is trying to mimic. And it looks pretty good. A higher saturation and contrast setting is a matter of your own preference
but the rest is always spot on. Well if we talk about PAL.

Ah, the days of S-video. It was high def but not too high def. But with these newfangled 2k, 3k 4k and beyond resolutions today and super-HDMI, it's almost ridiculous. To paraphrase a proverb, "Man was not meant to play video games with the vision of God." I was shocked when I noticed recently that Interplay used to pepper their C64 game fonts for the text in their games ((Dragon Wars, Wasteland, Neuromancer)) with little grey pixels to make them appear smoother on old CRTs. The grey pixels were invisible to these CRTs and just the effect of a smoother font remained. But now, in 1920X1080, in crystal clarity, with CRT shaders that isolate and emphasize every single little pixel, I can SEE those little flecks of grey as clear as day, and I sometimes feel like X The Man With The X-Ray Eyes just before he plucked his eyeballs out

Devo · 28 February 2019, 05:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

edit: Use a text editor and open the .vpl. Maybe you like this Red values better.

Code:

# Red
85 1f 02 4

Wow, now those are some deep reds! Much better than the default value. I like a nice deep blood red

Good work, man. I might even use colodore for my NTSC palette now, though it seems to mess with the window positions of my custom RA viewports, but... easily adjusted. Thx.

roondar · 28 February 2019, 11:13

I've experimented a bit with Colodore vs Pepto yesterday and compared it to my PAL C64's S-Video output on a Philips CM8833 (MK I) with default contrast/saturation and 'as close to average as I could get it' brightness*.

My results are that the PEPTO palette is clearly less accurate than the Colodore one, at least for this particular monitor - I can't judge others.

That said, the Colodore one doesn't seem to be 100% either - no matter how I set up the three dials I couldn't quite get it to look the same on the monitor vs emulator. On my monitor the bright & dark green look 'darker/more contrasty' than the Colodore palette and the purple seems a bit less saturated than the Colodore one.

But the biggest difference in look seems to have far less to do with colour accuracy and far more with CRT emulation accuracy. On a real C64, graphics displayed in some colours (even when using S-Video) are notably 'thinner' than the same graphics displayed in other colours. Sometimes even to the point of nearly losing pixels altogether. It doesn't affect all colours equally, but as an example: in my test run of Aviator Arcade II the brown text on the title screen very clearly showed this effect.

However, it should definitely be noted that the Colodore palette is a lot more accurate to what I actually see on my monitor compared to the Pepto one. Two things that stand out in particular (when directly comparing) is how the Pepto one is very clearly undersaturated and how it has some odd tints to some colours like blue.

As such, I've switched over to Colodore now and thanks for pointing it out!

*) The CM8833 MK I has a 'clicky' middle setting for both contrast and saturation, but not for brightness.

Retro-Nerd · 28 February 2019, 13:29

Quote:

That said, the Colodore one doesn't seem to be 100% either - no matter how I set up the three dials I couldn't quite get it to look the same on the monitor vs emulator. On my monitor the bright & dark green look 'darker/more contrasty' than the Colodore palette and the purple seems a bit less saturated than the Colodore one.

There are some things to consider. Every PC monitor looks different anyway but with CRT Emulation activated in Vice (or a CRT shader in Retroarch) its pretty close to what a late 90s/early 2000 CRT TVs/monitors looked like. You have to also keep in mind the different VIC revisions which are very different. The older VIC outputs a more brighter/saturated image (mostly) and the newer VIC (starting with the C64c) a much less saturated image. But that's has something (i've been told) to do with the video link on each board.

Neil79 · 01 March 2019, 14:37

Enjoy!

http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/0...tinuation.html

Devo · 01 March 2019, 15:31

I was just playing the first lvl of the original yesterday. It does have a lot of charm. Proof that gameplay is everything and that graphics- eh, not so much.

Retro-Nerd · 01 March 2019, 16:36

Yep, Fists of Fury is really nice. Couldn't play that much but what i've seen so far was pretty good.

TjLaZer · 02 March 2019, 09:28

Got to play it on my Amiga 4000 and GVP 4060/66MHz with MagiC64, great game!

Devo · 04 March 2019, 16:03

I was checking out Starflight on the VICE x64 core yesterday. I wanted to play the whole thing. I never got to finish it back in 1990 or so because my copy ended up having corrupt disks. I tried to play it on the Amiga a couple of years ago but I think the C64 version looks and feels better, imo. Possibly the best version outside of the port for the Sega Genesis (Megadive). I think I might just give it a go. I wish there was a way to toggle two different VICE warp speeds though - a maximum speed for initial loading of disks and a 3.0X one for playing C64 games like Starflight and Neuromancer where your character moves like an elderly arthritic 3-legged dog across the screen.

I was also experimenting with different SID chips in VICE. It seems 8580RD gets rid of a lot of white noise (that high pitched whistling sound) when objects appear white or very bright on screen. Not sure why that happens though. I know it happens on old CRTs a lot but not so much with LCDs. VICE is the first emulator I've noticed that happening with.

pubzombie · 08 March 2019, 19:41

Hi guys,
I’m venturing into the loft this weekend to dig out my C64s.
My apologies if these are stupid questions but can anybody recommend the best interweb place to go to learn about modern ways of setting c64s up?
I’ve seen them at retro shows years ago with sd cards running games as if from tape or disk.
Also is there new way of linking them to TV or am I still going to need to use the old Ariel lead?...
This alll depends of course if they still work!
Cheers
Pz

BarryB · 08 March 2019, 20:34

Lemon64 is your best place to go and ask, lots of people there have modern kit in their C64's.

pubzombie · 09 March 2019, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryB

Lemon64 is your best place to go and ask, lots of people there have modern kit in their C64's.

On my way thank u BarryB

Hewitson · 09 March 2019, 12:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by pubzombie

Hi guys,
I’m venturing into the loft this weekend to dig out my C64s.
My apologies if these are stupid questions but can anybody recommend the best interweb place to go to learn about modern ways of setting c64s up?
I’ve seen them at retro shows years ago with sd cards running games as if from tape or disk.
Also is there new way of linking them to TV or am I still going to need to use the old Ariel lead?...
This alll depends of course if they still work!
Cheers
Pz

My recommendation would be to get a 1541 Ultimate II+ as a storage solution.

The best way of connecting them to a TV or monitor is via s-video. If this is not available on your TV then you can use the composite output.

Also, a CRT is an absolute must. I can not stress this enough.

pubzombie · 26 March 2019, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hewitson

My recommendation would be to get a 1541 Ultimate II+ as a storage solution.

The best way of connecting them to a TV or monitor is via s-video. If this is not available on your TV then you can use the composite output.

Also, a CRT is an absolute must. I can not stress this enough.

Thanks Hewiston,
Well I’ve got one working C64 and one working psu- but I’ve got a new psu on order as I don’t trust it.
Also dug out the old crt portable I used to use for my Amiga back in the day. In fact my A1200 looks pretty good on it..
Is anybody on here using an SD card reader like the SD2IEC ? Jus5 wondering if it will do tape and disk images on the c64?
Thanks guys,
Steve

Retro-Nerd · 31 March 2019, 19:10

[ Show youtube player ]

Age of Heroes is ready for pre-order. The digital Download is avaiblable too. Had a quick look. Really nice fantasy actioner in Rastan style.

LINK

Retrofan · 01 April 2019, 01:47

Ordered

Retrofan · 06 April 2019, 22:07

I didn't know that L'Abbaye des morts was already for sale. It looks like a very good game. I've just read about the release in my new wonderful "Komoda&Amiga plus" magazine which is amazing and also highly recommended.

[ Show youtube player ]

https://doublesidedgames.com/product...ory/commodore/

BarryB · 07 April 2019, 00:12

I bought both Disk and Cart releases of L’Abbaye des morts. The cart version includes Jean Raymond’s Ring, a really heavy and chunky piece of jewellery, nice little collectors item that version!

MikeRichmond · 07 April 2019, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by pubzombie

Thanks Hewiston,
Well I’ve got one working C64 and one working psu- but I’ve got a new psu on order as I don’t trust it.
Also dug out the old crt portable I used to use for my Amiga back in the day. In fact my A1200 looks pretty good on it..
Is anybody on here using an SD card reader like the SD2IEC ? Jus5 wondering if it will do tape and disk images on the c64?
Thanks guys,
Steve

I’ve got an SD2IEC. It only works with disk images not tapes and compatibility is patchy. However with a bit of work most games can be found in compatible formats. Look for .d81 images or .prg files for best compatibility.

I’ve just replaced mine with a. Pi1541 which is more expensive but 100 percent compatible with all disk images - still no tape support.

Ultimate1541 is the best solution for almost everything but personally I prefer pi1541 for the best balance between price and compatibility

Hewitson · 07 April 2019, 03:29

An SD2IEC is a poor solution. You'll find that many games & demos refuse to work with it as it is not a full emulation of a 1541 disk drive unlike the 1541U2 or (possibly) the pi1541.

02 March 2019, 09:28	#488
TjLaZer Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma, WA USA Age: 52 Posts: 1,915	Got to play it on my Amiga 4000 and GVP 4060/66MHz with MagiC64, great game! Attached Thumbnails

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28 February 2019, 11:13	#483
roondar Registered User Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 3,410	I've experimented a bit with Colodore vs Pepto yesterday and compared it to my PAL C64's S-Video output on a Philips CM8833 (MK I) with default contrast/saturation and 'as close to average as I could get it' brightness. My results are that the PEPTO palette is clearly less accurate than the Colodore one, at least for this particular monitor* - I can't judge others. That said, the Colodore one doesn't seem to be 100% either - no matter how I set up the three dials I couldn't quite get it to look the same on the monitor vs emulator. On my monitor the bright & dark green look 'darker/more contrasty' than the Colodore palette and the purple seems a bit less saturated than the Colodore one. But the biggest difference in look seems to have far less to do with colour accuracy and far more with CRT emulation accuracy. On a real C64, graphics displayed in some colours (even when using S-Video) are notably 'thinner' than the same graphics displayed in other colours. Sometimes even to the point of nearly losing pixels altogether. It doesn't affect all colours equally, but as an example: in my test run of Aviator Arcade II the brown text on the title screen very clearly showed this effect. However, it should definitely be noted that the Colodore palette is a lot more accurate to what I actually see on my monitor compared to the Pepto one. Two things that stand out in particular (when directly comparing) is how the Pepto one is very clearly undersaturated and how it has some odd tints to some colours like blue. As such, I've switched over to Colodore now and thanks for pointing it out! *) The CM8833 MK I has a 'clicky' middle setting for both contrast and saturation, but not for brightness.

01 March 2019, 14:37	#485
Neil79 Autistic 'n IRN! Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: - Posts: 2,979	Enjoy! http://www.indieretronews.com/2019/0...tinuation.html

01 March 2019, 15:31	#486
Devo Registered User Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 27	I was just playing the first lvl of the original yesterday. It does have a lot of charm. Proof that gameplay is everything and that graphics- eh, not so much.

01 March 2019, 16:36	#487
Retro-Nerd Missile Command Champion Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Germany Age: 52 Posts: 12,438	Yep, Fists of Fury is really nice. Couldn't play that much but what i've seen so far was pretty good.

04 March 2019, 16:03	#489
Devo Registered User Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 27	I was checking out Starflight on the VICE x64 core yesterday. I wanted to play the whole thing. I never got to finish it back in 1990 or so because my copy ended up having corrupt disks. I tried to play it on the Amiga a couple of years ago but I think the C64 version looks and feels better, imo. Possibly the best version outside of the port for the Sega Genesis (Megadive). I think I might just give it a go. I wish there was a way to toggle two different VICE warp speeds though - a maximum speed for initial loading of disks and a 3.0X one for playing C64 games like Starflight and Neuromancer where your character moves like an elderly arthritic 3-legged dog across the screen. I was also experimenting with different SID chips in VICE. It seems 8580RD gets rid of a lot of white noise (that high pitched whistling sound) when objects appear white or very bright on screen. Not sure why that happens though. I know it happens on old CRTs a lot but not so much with LCDs. VICE is the first emulator I've noticed that happening with.

08 March 2019, 19:41	#490
pubzombie Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: westmids Posts: 900	Hi guys, I’m venturing into the loft this weekend to dig out my C64s. My apologies if these are stupid questions but can anybody recommend the best interweb place to go to learn about modern ways of setting c64s up? I’ve seen them at retro shows years ago with sd cards running games as if from tape or disk. Also is there new way of linking them to TV or am I still going to need to use the old Ariel lead?... This alll depends of course if they still work! Cheers Pz

08 March 2019, 20:34	#491
BarryB Amigaholic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: UK Posts: 4,676	Lemon64 is your best place to go and ask, lots of people there have modern kit in their C64's.

31 March 2019, 19:10	#495
Retro-Nerd Missile Command Champion Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Germany Age: 52 Posts: 12,438	[ Show youtube player ] Age of Heroes is ready for pre-order. The digital Download is avaiblable too. Had a quick look. Really nice fantasy actioner in Rastan style. LINK

01 April 2019, 01:47	#496
Retrofan Ruler of the Universe Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Lanzarote/Spain Posts: 6,185	Ordered

06 April 2019, 22:07	#497
Retrofan Ruler of the Universe Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Lanzarote/Spain Posts: 6,185	I didn't know that L'Abbaye des morts was already for sale. It looks like a very good game. I've just read about the release in my new wonderful "Komoda&Amiga plus" magazine which is amazing and also highly recommended. [ Show youtube player ] https://doublesidedgames.com/product...ory/commodore/

07 April 2019, 00:12	#498
BarryB Amigaholic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: UK Posts: 4,676	I bought both Disk and Cart releases of L’Abbaye des morts. The cart version includes Jean Raymond’s Ring, a really heavy and chunky piece of jewellery, nice little collectors item that version!

07 April 2019, 03:29	#500
Hewitson Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 41 Posts: 3,772	An SD2IEC is a poor solution. You'll find that many games & demos refuse to work with it as it is not a full emulation of a 1541 disk drive unlike the 1541U2 or (possibly) the pi1541.

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