Today is the first in a series of entries about games, especially retro ones, that I have been addicted to.
And for the first entry, one probably everyone has seen and played at some time, Quake. My first PC was pretty slow, only a 486DX at 166 Mhz, but when you put Quake on it it didn't matter anymore that it was an ancient dinosaur. No more shame at using an old PC when my buddies had shiny new PIIIs, Quake was just that cool. I got my copy of Quake from a friend who didn't play it anymore. I was immediately impressed by the 3d models, nice textures, lighting which put DOOM to shame, and... what an atmosphere! Quake was gloomy, eerie, and sometimes downright terrifying. The sound of a shambler suddenly roaring in your ear right behind your head as he ambushes you from behind still puts a skip in my heart to this day. A nothing quite gets your adrenaline pumping like having to wade through a battalion of angry chainsaw-wielding ogres just to escape from a room with a ceiling that's about to fall and crush you.
I still admire and frequently play this game, not just for nostalgia but because it's probably the most fun I have ever had in a videogame. The game was fast on two levels- even on a 486 you could get a very payable game even if your FPS meter said only 15 FPS. The game was that responsive. Secondly, the game was just fast paced in general. Most monsters weren't that smart, but they were usually fast, well armed, and strong. The premise of the game was perfectly executed for this- you're in enemy territory, they know you're coming, and they have prepared. So naturally, you get ambushed, trapped, tricked, and overwhelmed on a regular basis, and the only thing that can save you is tricky footwork, quick thinking, and good aim. Some people would call the game design "cheap." But it's more real that way- if you were a one man army in enemy territory, do you think you'd be given a fair chance? No way!
I have never played a single player game which has quite the same feel as Quake. Quake is known for two things- linearity and speed. The levels are straightforward, so you won't get lost or waste time trying to figure out what to do next- usually. You also have to be quick to survive, and if you're good enough you'll be able to finish the level in a satisfying short time. In Quake it can be very satisfying to romp through a level of armored psychos and monsters in just shy of a minute, and know you earned it too, because you pegged every one of the buggers and came through without getting your head blown off. Playing modern games like Medal of Honor was painful to me after playing Quake- I just wanted to rush in, dodge about with grenades going off and bullets flying just past my head, and finish the enemy like a winged bringer of death. No, you need to sneak carefully to the door without making noise, tip it open with a tap of your toe, and gently lob a grenade inside, like a complete pansy. Sure, I'd do it that way in real life- but I'm playing a game, for crying out loud!
Of course, the models are all really low polygon counts, the textures are small, and, as any all-knowing modern gamer will tell you, how can you take a game seriously when the default resolution is 320x280? I mean, you don't even need a GPU! I just ignore them. Here's why: the game will run on nearly anything. I mean, with a little tweaking you could run Quake on your cellphone. In fact, I've seen it done. This means that at the LAN party you don't need to bring a $3000 computer- you can just dig up the beast(s) in you basement and set 'em all up. Most geeks have enough hardware in their cellars to put together a 4 player lan party setup for Quake, and nobody would have to bring hardware.
One last thing about graphics, I kinda like the pixel look. Sure, photorealism is OK, but I just like some silky smooth pixel graphics sometimes. On a older PC I can run Quake at 60-100 FPS without breaking a sweat, and the pixel graphics fire the imagination. The low poly models seem to be given life through the pixelated medium. A shambler- blocky looking in high-res, bristles to life in low-res; straight sided and bland looking anti-aliased shoulders become hulking, rippling, furry, blood stained bringers of pain when you drop the resolution back down. The blurred non-aliased forms really add a feel of grunge to the game, which of course works perfectly.
All in all, Quake is one of my favorite games of all time, a true classic which has stood the test of time, and which, in my opinion, is still a shining example of all that a great FPS should be.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Personal Retro Challenge slowdown
Well, I figure since the Retro Challenge for Summer '08 is now announced to be in July I'll slow things down a little bit. Savor the awesomeness, and of course I can then have time to prepare for the challenge.
In other news, I am wanting to learn C programming, for the purpose of making a game in SDL, not to mention that I just like programming. As a bit of background I have been programming and using computers since 3rd grade, but for some reason I have never learned C. The reason is probably because it wasn't until many years later did I even have a computer I could program C on. I cut my teeth on Tandy Basic with my Dad's Tandy PC2 in third grade, and then got into Applesoft Basic and Apple Integer Basic when I got an Apple IIe, which was my first desktop computer. I went through several Apple IIe's, a IIc, and a IIgs. The IIe's got fried from constant use, and the power supplies just gave up. The Apples were already pretty old when I got them, and my school also happened to use Apple IIs still as well, and they only had about 50 extra units, plus spare parts, because they had phased the IIe's out for IIgs units, which again were considered ancient even at the time. (this was 1998, when I was in 6th or 7th grade)
My computer teacher was a big inspiration for me. She was a big Apple fanatic, and especially loved Macs. She wanted me to get into Macs too. I, on the other hand, really didn't care for Macs at all, I liked the old stuff. I don't know quite why it appealed to me, although looking back I think it was because I could work with the low level, and all my code banged directly on the hardware, so to speak. Later in 1998 we got a PC. I think it was the games that got me hooked on PC's from there. I played Quake for how many years then? Probably all the way through highschool. I have never looked back, and sorry to say for all you Mac lovers out there, I have never used or even liked Macs.
Well, now I'm in Linux, because it's free, like all my previous computer stuff, and appeals to my geek side that wants to have closer workings with the hardware. I used to write games for Apple II, sadly with the demise of my Apple hardware my games also went. Now I want to try some game code again, but Basic doesn't really have the power on Linux as it did on an Apple. See, on the Apple II, Basic was THE language to code in. Sure, you could do machine code, but the only reason for doing that was because it would mostly hide your source from people or do really complex things with the inner quirks of the machine. The Basic was pretty much just as efficient as the Assembler, because the Basic was integrated with the hardware.
Nowadays Basic is not really respected, and doing games is quite resource hungry with only Basic. I need SDL, so therefore I need C.
EDIT: Nix that last line: FreeBASIC is now my next exploration. MS QBasic compatibility (I already know QBasic) and C library integration, including SDL, with only %25 percent less performance than regular GCC. Since my game's won't be 3d I don't need to worry. And it's cross platform, perfect.
In other news, I am wanting to learn C programming, for the purpose of making a game in SDL, not to mention that I just like programming. As a bit of background I have been programming and using computers since 3rd grade, but for some reason I have never learned C. The reason is probably because it wasn't until many years later did I even have a computer I could program C on. I cut my teeth on Tandy Basic with my Dad's Tandy PC2 in third grade, and then got into Applesoft Basic and Apple Integer Basic when I got an Apple IIe, which was my first desktop computer. I went through several Apple IIe's, a IIc, and a IIgs. The IIe's got fried from constant use, and the power supplies just gave up. The Apples were already pretty old when I got them, and my school also happened to use Apple IIs still as well, and they only had about 50 extra units, plus spare parts, because they had phased the IIe's out for IIgs units, which again were considered ancient even at the time. (this was 1998, when I was in 6th or 7th grade)
My computer teacher was a big inspiration for me. She was a big Apple fanatic, and especially loved Macs. She wanted me to get into Macs too. I, on the other hand, really didn't care for Macs at all, I liked the old stuff. I don't know quite why it appealed to me, although looking back I think it was because I could work with the low level, and all my code banged directly on the hardware, so to speak. Later in 1998 we got a PC. I think it was the games that got me hooked on PC's from there. I played Quake for how many years then? Probably all the way through highschool. I have never looked back, and sorry to say for all you Mac lovers out there, I have never used or even liked Macs.
Well, now I'm in Linux, because it's free, like all my previous computer stuff, and appeals to my geek side that wants to have closer workings with the hardware. I used to write games for Apple II, sadly with the demise of my Apple hardware my games also went. Now I want to try some game code again, but Basic doesn't really have the power on Linux as it did on an Apple. See, on the Apple II, Basic was THE language to code in. Sure, you could do machine code, but the only reason for doing that was because it would mostly hide your source from people or do really complex things with the inner quirks of the machine. The Basic was pretty much just as efficient as the Assembler, because the Basic was integrated with the hardware.
Nowadays Basic is not really respected, and doing games is quite resource hungry with only
EDIT: Nix that last line: FreeBASIC is now my next exploration. MS QBasic compatibility (I already know QBasic) and C library integration, including SDL, with only %25 percent less performance than regular GCC. Since my game's won't be 3d I don't need to worry. And it's cross platform, perfect.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Some news
Well, I finally got some more news!
I just finished another week of retro goodness, but this time I was just playing around. I was on Spring break, and you can bet I did some fun basic coding, though none of it is too impressive. Mostly I ported code from an old book I had lying around called "Basic Computer Games: Microcomputer Edition," by David H. Ahl. I also have the "More Basic Computer Games," which I plan to dust off later this week.
I also got a memory upgrade for my Tandy- my model came with only 24Kb of RAM, and now I got 32!
Also, two of my buddies at college here saw my Tandy and wanted one too. I was pleased to take their money and went out and got a pair of Tandy 102's on ebay. I had to do a little refurbishing to get them up to par, especially since one of them had a sticky caps-lock, and the other one had the Num-Lock key broken off, which I had to glue back one. I opened up one of the units, which BTW used to belong to the Ottawa Sherrif's Dept, and was surprised to find grass inside. (I removed it, of course) It also was festooned with velcro all over the backside, including one piece that made opening the battery compartment nearly impossible. Lots of Goo-Gone spent on that one.
Next up I will detail as I make link cables for my friends. Right after I get my digital camera back from my roommate.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Alright, just a little tiny update here. I have discovered that it is the common practice of RetroChallenge participants to announce what they plan to do for said challenge. So, here's what I'm doing- my goal is to get the Tandy online in some form or another. I intend to accomplish this through the use of hardware and software for the Tandy, and not through a gateway computer. I'll reveal somewhat later what my hardware will be.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Time to start the Challenge!
It's time to start the next retro-challenge! Unfortunately my retro-challenge won't be official, because there isn't one going on right now. However, it's the 25th Anniversary of my favorite retro computer, and I think now is a great time to give it some coverage.
It's called the Tandy 102, and it's an upgrade of the very famous and popular TRS-80 Model 100 laptop. I bought mine about a year ago off Ebay, and at the time I paid about $25 for it.
And of course, it's retro- the first Model 100's rolled off the production lines back in March of 1983. My model was introduced in 1986.
The main difference between a Model 100 and the Tandy 102 is mainly cosmetic. The 102 is slightly smaller, thinner, and also more durable. The 102 also has (IMHO) a much nicer keyboard, which is not nearly as noisy as the ones on the Model 100's. The unit only weighs a couple pounds, a mere feather compared with any modern laptop.
The 102 is also built like a tank. I have dropped mine down flights of stairs, spilled boiling liquids on it, exposed it to temperatures of nearly 35 below zero in the depths of the frigid Minnesota winter, and even accidentally squashed it underneath a pile of heavy books and a couple of loaded suitcases. It still works. In fact, the thing not only works, but still looks great too!
The displays on these beasts are very nice. They aren't very big, but they are readable in almost any light, and have an easy adjustment knob which can make them readable from nearly any angle as well. This picture is a close-up of the display, which as you can see is black and white only.
These machines are also the last machines on which Bill Gates actually wrote any operating system code, and it shows. The software boots instantaneously on power up, and I have NEVER had anything crash. Ever. Take that Windows! Of course, the software is also very gracefully simple, and does alot of thing without needing to install a single piece of software. There is an address book, scheduler, text editor, a Telecom software with a simple terminal, and of course, a realtime BASIC interpreter. I use the text editor on a daily basis to take notes for all my classes. If you look closely at the picture above you can see the programs I mentioned on the menu. I have two documents displayed there too, the files that end with the extension ".DO" The file called "TEENY.CO" is my uploading software, which lets me link to a regular computer with a serial port and transfer data back and forth.
The data transfer is critical if you plan on using this machine for more than a few days, because the best the machine can handle is 32Kb of data. (yes, that's KILOBYTES, not megabytes) The data storage is in a battery-backed RAM, which can power itself for roughly a few months without being powered on. Since all you data is in RAM you never have to save- it simply stays put until you move it or delete it. So, if I'm typing away and by batteries die I don't have to worry; all my data is perfectly safe.
Furthermore, this computer is the only one I know of which can run for a full 20 hours off it's batteries. No joke. And it only uses 4 AA's. Of course, for all you green people out there you can use rechargeable batteries which are easy to recycle that way. And of course, you can also use a wall adaptor.
Of course, it also comes with everything else you'd expect from a computer of its era and lineage. It can save to a cassette drive, or an optional Tandy Portable Disk Drive, which also runs off AA batteries. It has a printer port, an RS-232 port, a 'blazingly fast' built-in 300 baud modem, and even an expansion port for a barcode reader. And of course, no laptop would be complete without an awesome leather slipcase.
It's called the Tandy 102, and it's an upgrade of the very famous and popular TRS-80 Model 100 laptop. I bought mine about a year ago off Ebay, and at the time I paid about $25 for it.
And of course, it's retro- the first Model 100's rolled off the production lines back in March of 1983. My model was introduced in 1986.
The main difference between a Model 100 and the Tandy 102 is mainly cosmetic. The 102 is slightly smaller, thinner, and also more durable. The 102 also has (IMHO) a much nicer keyboard, which is not nearly as noisy as the ones on the Model 100's. The unit only weighs a couple pounds, a mere feather compared with any modern laptop.
The 102 is also built like a tank. I have dropped mine down flights of stairs, spilled boiling liquids on it, exposed it to temperatures of nearly 35 below zero in the depths of the frigid Minnesota winter, and even accidentally squashed it underneath a pile of heavy books and a couple of loaded suitcases. It still works. In fact, the thing not only works, but still looks great too!
The displays on these beasts are very nice. They aren't very big, but they are readable in almost any light, and have an easy adjustment knob which can make them readable from nearly any angle as well. This picture is a close-up of the display, which as you can see is black and white only.
These machines are also the last machines on which Bill Gates actually wrote any operating system code, and it shows. The software boots instantaneously on power up, and I have NEVER had anything crash. Ever. Take that Windows! Of course, the software is also very gracefully simple, and does alot of thing without needing to install a single piece of software. There is an address book, scheduler, text editor, a Telecom software with a simple terminal, and of course, a realtime BASIC interpreter. I use the text editor on a daily basis to take notes for all my classes. If you look closely at the picture above you can see the programs I mentioned on the menu. I have two documents displayed there too, the files that end with the extension ".DO" The file called "TEENY.CO" is my uploading software, which lets me link to a regular computer with a serial port and transfer data back and forth.
The data transfer is critical if you plan on using this machine for more than a few days, because the best the machine can handle is 32Kb of data. (yes, that's KILOBYTES, not megabytes) The data storage is in a battery-backed RAM, which can power itself for roughly a few months without being powered on. Since all you data is in RAM you never have to save- it simply stays put until you move it or delete it. So, if I'm typing away and by batteries die I don't have to worry; all my data is perfectly safe.
Furthermore, this computer is the only one I know of which can run for a full 20 hours off it's batteries. No joke. And it only uses 4 AA's. Of course, for all you green people out there you can use rechargeable batteries which are easy to recycle that way. And of course, you can also use a wall adaptor.
Of course, it also comes with everything else you'd expect from a computer of its era and lineage. It can save to a cassette drive, or an optional Tandy Portable Disk Drive, which also runs off AA batteries. It has a printer port, an RS-232 port, a 'blazingly fast' built-in 300 baud modem, and even an expansion port for a barcode reader. And of course, no laptop would be complete without an awesome leather slipcase.
Monday, March 10, 2008
New Blog- what will come?
Well, here it is, my new blog. It's soon to become a little place to show what I do. Really it's a place to put some info on my projects in a public place, so that people who want to know about my retrotech nerd projects can see them in more detail.
The main use for this blog is so that I can compete in the next RetroChallenge! I missed out on the last one, the Winter Warmup, and I'm looking forward to participating in the next one.
I call this Neo Retrotech Nerd because that's what I am. I was not born at the time the technology I love was invented. My first computer was older than I was. The Apple IIe I got in 3rd grade was the beginning of my journey. Now I have some new machines to show, but sadly the Apple is gone, victim to a failed power supply. I had an Apple IIgs after that, sadly a victim to a garage sale, where it was sold to a computer illiterate family. I can't decide which death is more terrible...
Anyway, since I am in college too, and it's currently open season on term papers, I might be updating this not too often. Maybe once a week.
EOL
The main use for this blog is so that I can compete in the next RetroChallenge! I missed out on the last one, the Winter Warmup, and I'm looking forward to participating in the next one.
I call this Neo Retrotech Nerd because that's what I am. I was not born at the time the technology I love was invented. My first computer was older than I was. The Apple IIe I got in 3rd grade was the beginning of my journey. Now I have some new machines to show, but sadly the Apple is gone, victim to a failed power supply. I had an Apple IIgs after that, sadly a victim to a garage sale, where it was sold to a computer illiterate family. I can't decide which death is more terrible...
Anyway, since I am in college too, and it's currently open season on term papers, I might be updating this not too often. Maybe once a week.
EOL
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