The future of C64/128 homebrew

[Cris1997XX]

Given the recent release of Attack Of The PETSCII Robots, Puzzle Bobble and Sonic The Hedgehog, do you think more games will require a Commodore 64 or a REU expansion? If we see more NES/arcade ports, the extra RAM and DMA would help for sure. But I'm honestly not sure if the Commodore aficionados will jump the gun and buy expansions just for some homebrew (I mean, PowerPC Amigas are a thing...). Your opinion on the matter?

[WhataKowinkydink]

My understanding that (at least original) hardware is difficult to come by

[carlsson]

Yes, the original REU is rare and quite expensive unless you manage to strike a deal. However there are plans to build modern REUs at hopefully far lower prices and once those are around, price and availability won't be preventive factors anymore.

 

If you got an Ultimate-II+ or similar, it has built-in REU emulation. I believe the Turbo Chameleon has as well? Given how many C64 users have bought cartridges like those, either the market for REU replicas has been saturated or it is a sign that many will want one if the price is right.

 

Also in order to sell REUs, there needs to be a software base to use it for. At the same time there needs to be a user based of REU owners in order to make software that requires one. Someone needs to break that deadlock, and perhaps the Sonic replica just did.

[DragonGrafx-16]

I am not really interested in the new Sonic port. I am much more interested in new original titles. I wouldn't mind having a new version of the REU however if the price is right.

[bjonte]

I think developers will avoid REU requirements simply because it cuts the user base and will mean less cheering after the release. On the other hand I believe most developers are struggling to get games to work on NTSC with the higher frame rate. Going the Sam’s Journey route and require it for NTSC is an interesting approach that I think we will see more of. It cuts a smaller part of the user base and helps ship the game with less effort.

[Mayhem]

On 4/7/2022 at 2:45 AM, bjonte said:

On the other hand I believe most developers are struggling to get games to work on NTSC with the higher frame rate.

It's not the higher frame rate that's the issue per se. It's that there are less free CPU cycles left after updating the screen on NTSC computers, cycles that could be used for other things gameplay wise, or generating double buffer for scrolling purposes.

[motrucker]

At least to the C-64 REU Availability, there is an open source option now that's a damn good replacement! Look on Lemon64;

 

https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=77209

 

Or on youtube;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfzsf5WbC2Q

or GitHub ;  https://github.com/jburrell7/REUPlusC2

 

 

[AW127]

On 4/6/2022 at 10:50 PM, Cris1997XX said:

Given the recent release of Attack Of The PETSCII Robots, Puzzle Bobble and Sonic The Hedgehog, do you think more games will require a Commodore 64 or a REU expansion?

From these three C64 games you mentioned, only "Sonic the Hedgehog" needed a REU expansion, the other two not. They also run on a normal C64. Just wanted to make this clear, because it sounds a bit like that, in your sentence.

 

Then to the topic. I personally don't think, it will come to the C64 that more and more games will come out only for the REU. That will be the case occasionally, but not the rule, i am sure. Also in a number of 'normal' games, the C64 was already maxed-out in the recent years ("Sam's Journey" is one of them) and alot of the newer games play and looks fantastic. Therefore, in my opinion, is not necessarily a need for lots of new games for the REU. According to my experience, the aim of many programmers on the C64, is more, to exploit the limits of the normal C64 hardware, not the limits of C64 hardware-extensions. But, from my point of view, i have no objection to some isolated games like this. They are interesting to watch.

 

 

[Shadowfire]

That depends on whether the authors need the extra RAM or the speed/blitting capabilities of the REU.  The REUs can do single cycle memory copies of blocks of data to/from the REU (1 byte per cycle), or swap data with the REU (1 byte per 2 cycles) which is an order of magnitude faster than even the most highly optimized assembly routines.

 

[Mr SQL]

Here's a similar Technology accelerating classic PET hardware using an Audrino for watching youtube videos that looks pretty cool: 

Watching YouTube on a Commodore Pet - YouTube

 

[+OLD CS1]

38 minutes ago, Mr SQL said:

Here's a similar Technology accelerating classic PET hardware using an Audrino for watching youtube videos that looks pretty cool: 

Watching YouTube on a Commodore Pet - YouTube

I would watch it, if I had a PET to watch it on

[Mr SQL]

1 hour ago, OLD CS1 said:

I would watch it, if I had a PET to watch it on

For anyone with a PET youtube becomes the Matrix