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a VS code extension for writing assembler, C, Pascal, or something else that compiles to 6502 would be nice, but I haven't found one for THOSE, yet. However, for BASIC, there some other options for developing for the Apple II. Funny you should mention Visual Studio Code, I just found this yesterday: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dfgordon.vscode-language-applesoft It even has mouseover info for pokes and peeks that tell about the address you are working with. It doesn't seem to be complete yet, but it was updated May 2022, so I think the author may still be actively developing it. In my earlier searches for modern ways to develop for the apple II, I came across this: https://virtualbasic.org/ I was thinking about contacting the author of the vs code extension and asking him about implementing some of the features of virtual basic into it. Virtual BASIC lets you code Applesoft BASIC (and Integer BASIC maybe?) with modern indenting style, and it has the ability to separately label and define gosub routines. The labels for gosub routines require using the british pound symbol though, but I looked at the code and it's easy to substitute that to something else. After you've finished coding, it can convert the code you've written into properly numbered BASIC statements, which you can then save to a text file then do something like SHIFT+INSERT into Applewin or whatever. Please note Virtual BASIC requires Python 2, but as a result, it is cross platform. It hasn't been updated since October of 2019. I'm currently "disassembling" some of my old favorite Apple II games that were written using BASIC (+ some ASM,) to get the logic written out so I can re-implement for modern platforms (with my own ideas for additions / corrections.) I haven't looked at CC65 yet, but that seems like something that might be useful as well. There doesn't seem to be any all-in-one tool that lets you write for, compile, and debug for the Apple II in both high-level languages AND assembly at the same time, and/or disassemble those types of things (unless you count the Applewin debugger, which as GREAT as it is, isn't documented very well.) As near as I can see the closest thing to a somewhat complete package for Apple II development on modern platforms seems to be the 8-bit Unity, but I haven't looked at it yet. Just a note, as I was about to hit the submit reply button I also found THIS: https://www.howtogeek.com/809799/45-years-later-the-apple-ii-still-has-lessons-to-teach-us/

I think doing HSC for Apple II games would be fun, even if it only wound up with a handful of participants. I am often scouring youtube for high score runs or speedruns of older games (Apple II included,) for games I played a lot growing up, to see just how far people were willing to go with them. I know a lot of the magazines from back in the day (that are now available online) had high score listings.

Simple yet fun. I got to screen 5 so far. I installed this on my Wii, having a blast with it. Thanks.

I didn't follow the development of this from the beginning, which is probably why I was so stunned when I tried it. This had me misty-eyed. I spent the whole time playing with my mouth wide open, aghast. Why? It does the things I wanted the original 2600 version to do: 1. Eating dots slows you down so the monsters outrun you. 2. The ghosts go slow through the tunnels. * 3. The maze flashes when you finish a screen. 4. It has all the prizes. 5. The monsters have individual behaviors, and face whatever direction they are moving. 6. The monsters flash the appropriate number of times for whatever level you are on, after you eat an energizer. 7. The scoring matches the arcade. 8. You get an extra man at 10,000, complete with sound effect. 9. THE SIREN! It even changes pitch and speed as you eat more dots, like the arcade! 10. You DON'T stop when you eat the fruit. 11. Pac-Man dies with appropriate animation and sound effects. This is absolutely great! By any chance do you have any more bytes left? There's only two things that I noticed that I think might be possible, and I think would make it even better: 1. * The ghosts do NOT slow down in the tunnels when they are blue. Is there enough room to make them do this? 2. Can you implement "DIP switches" using either game select or the difficulty switches? In the arcade you can select 3 or 5 lives, and extra life at 10,000 / 15,000 / 20,000. I would imagine there's not enough space left to implement game difficulty at easy or hard, or 1 or 2 players. I gotta say the achievement on this just blows me away. This is the Pac-man I wanted as a kid so badly back in the day. I was instantly transported back to my childhood and was sitting on the floor playing atari, only this time playing the REAL Pac-man!