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How playable are C 16 / Plus 4 games???

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:24 am
by Barney
I own a Commodore Plus 4 but as of yet have not played a single game on it. For one, I don't have a joystick for it, so I rarely even turn it on. Has anybody out there played any plus 4 games? Are they any good? How are the grahics? Thanks.

Barney

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 12:58 pm
by nippur72
There are plenty of games for the plus 4, have a look here:

http://plus4world.powweb.com/games

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:06 pm
by Barney
Thats a cool Plus 4 site. I have one question though. In order for me to transfer these files to tape, does the download have to be a TAP file or can the PRG files be copied to tape as well? Thanks.

Barney

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:26 pm
by carlsson
Even worse, I have read the TAP/WAV support for the Plus/4 is rather partial. Some tapes will be possible to transfer while others will show up as mush due to the Plus/4 uses different types of waves than rest of the Commodore computers. Very few programmers bothered to implement support for thos oddball waves. I suppose you can connect a 1541 style floppy drive to the Plus/4 and load PRGs that way.

Re: How playable are C 16 / Plus 4 games???

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:45 pm
by RobertBe
Barney wrote:Has anybody out there played any plus 4 games? Are they any good?
They are very good, especially if they are ports of C64 games. ;)

Happy New Year!
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:26 pm
by rhurst
There is also http://www.commodore16.com/. During that day, I loved playing Jack Attack, but that was all I could get my hands on. But, the C16 (and Plus/4 and native C128) were not about playing games -- it was about running and/or programming applications. Their advanced BASIC and built-in ML monitor provided the necessary tools for anyone to accomplish those objectives. With some exception with C128 -- which had fantastic word processing, telecommunications, and some cool compilers aimed mostly at its 80-column mode -- the "learning" objective never caught on to gain any appreciable market. I appreciated the newer BASICs... it was enough to satisfy my desire to write (good) home computer applications, but usually with a floppy for REL file storage. And it was a dirt cheap solution, too. :D

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:01 am
by Vic20-Ian
get the plus 4 Gamebase, it contains preview images of the the games and loads them into YAPE - Yet Another Plus/4 Emulator.

pm me if you need a link

Re: How playable are C 16 / Plus 4 games???

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:50 am
by saver71
Barney wrote:I own a Commodore Plus 4 but as of yet have not played a single game on it. For one, I don't have a joystick for it, so I rarely even turn it on. Has anybody out there played any plus 4 games? Are they any good? How are the grahics? Thanks.

Barney
Hi Barney,
try this:

SQUIRM - Mastertronic 1985
Image

Image

An action game style maze really frantic and addictive. It 'was one of my first games on Commodore 16. You are a sort of pacman eating the eggs that are sown by a big worm.

I also recommend Timeslip, Sword of Destiny, Berks 3 and Winter Events, excellent graphics and sound.

And this is my first game for C16:

LUNAR DOCKING - Tynesoft 1985
Image

If you want you can try this too, is not a particularly good game but it gives me great sentimental value, so sometimes i play it. :)

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:12 am
by rhurst
I just bought Jack Attack and the C= joystick for my C16 and Plus/4. It was the only game I purchased when I exclusively used C16 between December 1984 and June 1985 (after VIC 20 until I could buy C128). It would be decades later I would find Jack Attack for C64, of course I felt a little "betrayed" my favorite platform game was pimped on "that" machine. :wink: But seriously, I still think that style of game and its implementation is best played on TED -- its palette is simply superior over VIC and VIC-II.

I also just got a pristine 1531 datasette and (gulp) 1551 floppy drive! I am so looking forward to setup up my TED computers using these peripherals! 8)

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:44 pm
by carlsson
If your 1551 involves shipping, I hope it will arrive safe and sound. Most 1551's sent by any sorts of post service tend to arrive smashed into bits.

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:09 pm
by rhurst
Yes, it arrived safely, that is to say it is still in one piece... but I will need a power converter (US -> Euro) in order to run it. Hopefully, it does not become "shelf-candy". :wink:

Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:20 pm
by rhurst
Ah, played some Jack Attack today off the old Zenith TV ... that was fun! Here's my simple blog entry with pictures of the event. 8)

Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:49 pm
by RobertBe
rhurst wrote:...but I will need a power converter (US -> Euro) in order to run it.
Or you can put a North American 120v p.s. from a 1541 into it.

I did it to mine,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 3:36 am
by carlsson
I was just about to suggest something similar. I understand those 1540/41/51/71 internal power supplies are not adjustable to different input voltages?

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 5:18 am
by Pedro Lambrini
I just thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and say that the C16/Plus4 has some great games. Pretty much all Mastertronic games are really good fun. Particular favourites of mine would include Finders, Keepers, Kikstart, Roboknight and Squirm. Tutti Frutti is also excellent(I'd love a Vic version of that wee beauty!). Some of the Atlantis titles are also great. I particularly like Space Escort.

To my mind the C16 is the true successor and younger sibling of the Vic. Games are very playable, it's a friendly machine and it still doesn't have hardware sprites! :p