loadzero's recent activity

  1. Comment on Chopper Commando Revisited in ~comp

    loadzero
    (edited )
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    chopper258 is a port of Chopper Commando, a DOS game written by Mark Currie using Turbo Pascal in 1990. I've put the source on github, and the game can be played natively on mac, linux and on the...

    chopper258 is a port of Chopper Commando, a DOS game written by Mark Currie using Turbo Pascal in 1990.

    I've put the source on github, and the game can be played natively on mac, linux and on the web too.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What arcade game would you like to see preserved at a source code level? in ~comp

    loadzero
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    Good question. I have a few reasons for doing this, but I would say the primary intent is to preserve the game author(s) work by deciphering it, and then translating it into a modern language and...

    Good question.

    I have a few reasons for doing this, but I would say the primary intent is to preserve the game author(s) work by deciphering it, and then translating it into a modern language and context.

    Games that have been translated this way will be much more likely to survive the passage of time, will be talked about more, and are more likely to be studied (as opposed to just played).

    I think at least some of these games are important cultural artifacts, and deserve this kind of treatment.

    5 votes

  4. What arcade game would you like to see preserved at a source code level?

    ~comp Ask (survey)
    Hi All, I have recently completed a software archaeology project, reverse engineering Space Invaders si78c, and would like to cast around for opinions as to which game(s) to do next. I am...

    Hi All,

    I have recently completed a software archaeology project, reverse engineering Space Invaders si78c, and would like to cast around for opinions as to which game(s) to do next.

    I am currently thinking of doing either Pacman, Donkey Kong or Galaga but am willing to entertain suggestions about other games of a similar vintage. Please go into detail as to why you think it's an important title.

    Eventually I would like to tackle bigger games from the home micro / console market, but they are most likely out of scope for now.

    Please note, this is very labour intensive work, taking several months / years at a time depending on title complexity, and I will most likely only do a handful of these (barring any great advances) in my lifetime.

    Cheers,
    Jason

    18 votes

  5. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    loadzero
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    I have recently finished a big project, si78c. This ended up being a really tough nut to crack, as I haven't reversed anything of that size before. I am currently thinking about and hacking around...

    I have recently finished a big project, si78c. This ended up being a really tough nut to crack, as I haven't reversed anything of that size before.

    I am currently thinking about and hacking around on some possible followup projects. One current thread I am pulling is getting it to run on the web. Rather than going down the emscripten rabbit hole, I am exploring other simpler approaches.

    6 votes