Hex Files Advert

There is a discussion currently going on in a private area of the Arkanix Labs forum, where Warlock is discussing some ideas for a demo that he will produce while learning to code on the C64.  Moloch has pointed him to the Hex Files tutorials written by T.M.R.

I have seconded that suggestion, pointing out that even I was able to create something!  And then I realised that the little demo I made is not mentioned anywhere other than the OldSchool Gaming website forum.  Guess I need to write about it then, since that's the idea of this blog!

Introducing the 'Hex Files Advert' from 2008...

The idea for this simple demo was to create an 'advert' for the tutorial used to create it.

As well as being on coding duties for a change, I also pixelled the bitmap image, sprites and the 'font' charset.  The music is by AumTRoN.  When I say I was on coding duties, I obviously followed the tutorial, modifying it along the way because I wanted the scroller at the bottom of the screen, along with a few other small changes.

To be honest, I did get a little stuck with trying to remove an annoying flicker caused by the scroller, so Trooper was very helpful with tidying up my code and T.M.R obviously needs credit since he wrote the original tutorial code!

As a result, the demo scroller credits code to Trooper and T.M.R, leaving me out because I felt a little sheepish crediting myself when I was basing it all on the work of somebody else!  This was a last minute decision/change, so if you take a look as the source it actually still credits code to me also.

Look at the source?

You can download the source, bitmap, chars, sprites and other files, along with a C64 disk image containing the final demo here...

Retro Gamer Intro

I've just noticed that an unused and unreleased C64 intro has been uploaded to CSDb by Shaun Bebbington, a former staff writer on UK magazine 'Retro Gamer'.

The 'blinds' code effect was by MTR1975 and I pixelled the Retro Gamer logo.  Shaun has has left a comment on the intro's CSDb entry page and he states:

"This is a file that I 'commissioned' in 2005 (June or July I think) whilst I was working on the UK magazine Retro Gamer. MTR provided the code, and Andy V rendered the graphics from the magazine's logo. The idea was to sellotape it to any C64 releases we'd have on the coverdisk, but it never worked out that way. A shame really, but here's the file in all its glory just in case TMR wants to do anything with it."

And that pretty much explains the purpose of this little intro.  I'll have to take Shaun's word for it on the dates.  While don't remember why I ended up doing the pixelling, whether I was asked or if I volunteered after a discussion somewhere (probably on IRC), I *do* remember MTR becoming a little annoyed with me for not asking him first before me saying he would code while I pixelled.  Understandable really.

If anyone is wondering why the logo in the intro looks different to the logo of the magazine today, after the original publishers 'Live Publishing' went bust, the title was bought and underwent a redesign by new publishers 'Imagine Publishing'.

I'm pretty sure that I did another version of the logo which I preferred where the main colour was light grey instead of white.  Not sure why that wasn't used and I can't find the grey version anywhere.

The intro can be downloaded from CSDb here...

Downloading directly from this blog will get you the original logo in Koala format as well as the intro. Just click here...