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Free - The Story of The Commodore 64 in Pixels (Was £19.99) @ Fusion Retro Books

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Free - The Story of The Commodore 64 in Pixels (Was £19.99) @ Fusion Retro Books
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Taegukgi on 20/05/2019 - 05:44 fusionretrobooks.com (4387 clicks)
Last edited 20/05/2019 - 08:30

The paperback version of this book is selling for $205 through Amazon US! Great reviews - should be a good read.

Note - this is a PDF of the book and not the actual book.

The story of the Commodore 64 in pixels covers the history of the computer as well as featuring articles on the SID music chip by Andrew Fisher; Tape Loaders by Martyn Carroll and cartridges by Mat Allen.

This book looks at some of the most popular games on the system - each game receiving a double page spread with large images of the game fr the reader to enjoy.

A unique selling point of the book is that is contains 30 memoirs from those who programmed the games; wrote the music and drew the graphics. It's a captivating insight to what it was like to actually develop a game for the Commodore 64.

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  • SlappersOnly on 20/05/2019 - 05:49
    +3

    Classic gaming console/pc

    Before the Playstation/Xbox console wars, there was Commodore 64/ZX Spectrum

    • Silicon Wizardry on 20/05/2019 - 07:22
      +1

      … and Apple ][

      • Nugs on 20/05/2019 - 07:37
        +3

        and Tandy TRS-80…..
        .

        • Gravy on 20/05/2019 - 08:01

          … and Amstrad….. and Amiga.

          • AlexF on 20/05/2019 - 08:18
            +2

            @Gravy: … and Atari 400 & 800… and BBC/Acorn… and Microbee (yes, Australians used to make things).

            • pw2002au on 20/05/2019 - 08:43
              +1

              @AlexF: And Dick Smiths VZ 200 and VZ 300 … oh wait .. they were too crappy to be part of the war … not even worthy of a footnote ;)

            • Gravy on 20/05/2019 - 08:45
              +1

              @AlexF: BBC was probably the first computer I ever typed a command on, I think it was either *CAT or *. to get up the disc directory structure. I still remember where I was and who taught me that first command, thanks Stuart Dewar. :)

      • SlappersOnly on 20/05/2019 - 08:40
        +3

        I guess. If you were rich enough to have Apple II money

    • SteveAndBelle on 20/05/2019 - 07:32
      +1

      … and was also released as the worlds first portable computer in the form of the Commodore SX-64 but of course still needed to be powered from the mains. This reminds me that I'll have to dig mine out and fire it up to stretch its legs again soon :)

      • KerrAvon on 20/05/2019 - 08:28
        +1

        Still got my SX64. Love it

    • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2019 - 07:36
      +2

      and Amiga vs Atari was squeezed in there.

      there was Commodore 64/ZX Spectrum

      Not that Spectrum was really a competitor, it was for unpopular kids who wanted to remain that way :-P

      • Grish on 20/05/2019 - 08:01

        How about the MSX? I had a Sony MSX :)

      • SlappersOnly on 20/05/2019 - 08:28
        +1

        for unpopular kids who wanted to remain that way

        Lol

    • syousef on 20/05/2019 - 09:23
      +2

      Texas Instruments 99/4a with speech synthesizer module for the win!

      Entering sector 1.1, Captain.

      • afoveht on 20/05/2019 - 10:42

        I loved it too, but let's admit it - with the C64 everywhere we were always the uncool kids.

      • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2019 - 13:02
        +1

        but did it ever speak those importal words

        Another visitor. Stay awhile, STAAAAY FOREVER!
        https://youtu.be/i1_fDwX1VVY

      • Jackson on 20/05/2019 - 23:58

        Parsec? That was the only game I remember using it. Cant believe my relos convinced thwir parents to drop 150 bucks in 1988 on one of those speech sythesizers

        • syousef on 21/05/2019 - 07:21

          Do the following titles jog your memory?
          Star Trek: Strategic Operations
          Alpiner
          Moon Mine
          Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom

          When I got the thing, around 1982, speech synthesis was shiny and new, and the price was higher.

          • Jackson on 21/05/2019 - 20:51
            +1

            @syousef: Buck Rogers does, can't say I know the rest. I had a c64 but my relos had the TI.

            Yeah I remember them saying it was 300 and when they got it it was half the rrp or something. As you can imagine my memory ia a bit vague on it.

  • GeneralSkunk on 20/05/2019 - 07:41
    +3

    Might want to note this is the PDF version, not a printed book.

    • Taegukgi on 20/05/2019 - 08:30

      Added, thanks.

  • imurgod on 20/05/2019 - 08:24

    Thanks OP. What a cool little pdf. I grew up with the C64!

  • eskylidder on 20/05/2019 - 08:31

    Title needs PDF

  • G Wok on 20/05/2019 - 08:38

    Nice post OP

  • TheDukeOfNukem on 20/05/2019 - 09:25

    Downloaded and will give it a read when I eventually get around to reading that Motley Crue biography first (I never read anything so I usually go about 1 book / 17 years), but what the hell is up with that printed copy's price? Damn.

    • Taegukgi on 20/05/2019 - 09:26

      Was the Crue biography free?

      • TheDukeOfNukem on 20/05/2019 - 09:43

        No, but it's printed. So it sits in the shelf next to all my games and shit, staring at me, calling me less of an intellectual for not being much of a reader off screen. I stare back and say "(profanity) you Tommy Lee, if I read more of your bullshit antics I'll be even less of an intellectual!"

      • TheDukeOfNukem on 20/05/2019 - 09:46
        +1

        Also, actually yes. The missus went to pick it up a while back at Big W but it fell to the bottom of the trolley and she forgot about it. So I mean. Someone paid for it, but it wasn't me.

    • merc on 20/05/2019 - 09:37

      In case you didn't know, they made a movie of the book which is now on Netflix - called The Dirt.

      • TheDukeOfNukem on 20/05/2019 - 09:44

        Yeah, I saw it. Supposedly there's a lot of stuff missed out on that's in the book but like, I hate reading. I'm basically a 5 year old. I hate vegetables, I hate reading, and still think Simpsons is one of the best shows ever made.

  • Waynes world on 20/05/2019 - 09:43

    Selling for $205… More than the original Commodore 64!

  • Russ on 20/05/2019 - 09:43
    +2

    Almost 300MB in size, perhaps don't download on your mobile if your plan only has 1GB of download allowance.

    If you like this book, consider an older book (1981!) in a similar vein: the Pulitzer-prize-winning "The Soul of a New Machine" by Tracey Kidder. Not free though, cheapest is currently $12.99 as an e-book on Kobo:
    https://booko.com.au/works/71589

    It's a book about the creation of the Eagle minicomputer, which started in 1978, and was one of the first 32-bit computers. This was an era when a computer's CPU was made of hundreds of individual logic chips. This book was one of the things that influenced me to study engineering.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_General#32-bit_Project_Ea…
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine

    • cashews on 20/05/2019 - 15:47
      +1

      Thanks for the recommendations. One of my favourites is Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software .

  • kaleidoscope on 20/05/2019 - 09:46

    the book is proper ebook right? not photos of book taken from camera like in thumbnails?

    • Russ on 20/05/2019 - 09:58
      +2

      It's a PDF, looks like it was the source from which the printed books were created. Like a physical book, the pages are in portrait mode, and the layout (two columns of text) makes it a little hard to read in anything other than full-page mode.

  • renster72 on 20/05/2019 - 09:58

    cool, just getting back into Amiga's and all things commodore, amazing how much development is still going on.. Just bought a TF330 for my Amiga CD32..

  • cyrax83 on 20/05/2019 - 10:00

    292 mb - that's a big pdf. Flicked through - looks very good with lots of illustrations

  • muncan on 20/05/2019 - 10:01

    If you’re more of a YouTube watcher than a PDF reader, there’s a great little video on making a modern 40KB NES game over here

  • Chridim on 20/05/2019 - 10:07
    +1

    Anyone remember they noise made by disk drive 1541 when was formatting disks?

    • fookos on 20/05/2019 - 10:10

      It was a massive thing of beauty… remember that sound fondly :)

    • petebern on 20/05/2019 - 12:12
      +1

      Disk Drive….. did you live in a mansion????
      I remember having a mini screwdriver from my mother’s sewing machine so I could move the heads on the tape drive because each game on cassette seemed to need the heads in a different place to read the tape…
      Of course the hassle paid off as I learnt BASIC on the C64, moved to the Amiga 500 and eventually became a self taught Programmer/BusinessAnalyst/BusinessIntellegince expert and my toys have become a little more expensive.
      I was actually cleaning out one of my rooms and found my original Amiga manual in a dark cupboard so timing of this deal is perfect for reminiscing.

      • Gravy on 20/05/2019 - 12:53

        azimuth head alignment tape tool would have been your friend.

      • sniper on 20/05/2019 - 14:15
        +1

        You're right, the 1541 drive was super expensive. Interestingly it had a 6502 processor driving it, same as the processor in the C64 itself!

        It's like connecting another computer to your computer.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_1541

        • Jackson on 21/05/2019 - 00:09

          Hence the accelerator plus compatible disk drive being released, was supposedly faster, less than half the size and about half the price or less

      • Chridim on 20/05/2019 - 21:47

        I remember buying it second hand as it was unaffordable. But with its 360kb storage, reliability and speed was such a step up. The tape you never knew if it was going to work at the first attempt.

    • Fybre on 20/05/2019 - 13:19

      I just remember the turbo load from tapes being quicker than that behemoth of a disk drive

    • LowRange on 20/05/2019 - 14:44

      The noise copying tapes in a standard stereo double tape deck was worse, and you had to put up with it for 60-90 minutes per side of the tape. The stereo i had even with the volume right down you could still hear the data screech.

      The noise of twirling a tape with a pen to rewind it almost drowned out the data screech lol.

  • CheepAsChips on 20/05/2019 - 11:08

    I too lived in the time of C64 & 1530 C2N tape datasette. Salutations - Qld Commodore Computer Users Group and their CURSOR newsletter. Thanks OP great find.

  • klif-e on 20/05/2019 - 11:15

    Any direct link?

  • h4lcyon on 20/05/2019 - 11:26
    +12

    First 100 people can get it here then the link expires.

    • klif-e on 20/05/2019 - 11:39
      +1

      Thanks

    • luka on 20/05/2019 - 11:49
      +1

      Thank you

    • jabo on 20/05/2019 - 12:33
      +1

      Thank you!

  • witsa on 20/05/2019 - 11:49

    does the pdf read ok on a mobile?

    • Captain M on 20/05/2019 - 15:30

      Yeap its hi res. Reads fine.

  • Misha Bakunin on 20/05/2019 - 12:15

    Great post OP! I have fond memories on my old C64

  • GeneralSkunk on 20/05/2019 - 12:29

    I'd like the paperback but not that that price!

  • beerpara on 20/05/2019 - 13:58

    LOAD”*”,8,1

    • muncan on 20/05/2019 - 20:58

      WAIT 6502,1

      • Jorgen on 20/05/2019 - 22:12

        Run stop restore!

  • brotherfranciz on 20/05/2019 - 19:39
    +2

    All this talk has reminded me of an awesome tv show called 'Halt and Catch Fire': https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2543312/

  • Jorgen on 20/05/2019 - 22:10

    Shut up and take my PII! :)
    Thanks for the link.

  • chav on 20/05/2019 - 23:12
    +1

    Programming the 6502, think I've still got the book.
    Show a "coder" that and they might ask why you are showing them a list of IP addresses.
    Used to have to peek and poke with basic in decimal to access the graphics RAM directly.
    Sadly I think those days are just redundant nostalgia, but you had to understand how things worked to do anything!

    • Jackson on 21/05/2019 - 00:11

      The C64 Programmers Reference Guide?

  • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2019 - 06:54
    +1

    Dozens of great comments in this thread and thanks to OP for bringing them to life.

    I owned both the VIC-20 and the 64. A teacher at school, proud owner of an SX-64. He lugged it around as if it contained the nuclear codes.

    Reminder of Datassette offers mainly the irony of a fast-loading chill down the spine…
    https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2397460065_c85ae7b8b5_o… :)

    For nostalgic older OzBargainers - but not just, keep an eye-out for this great doco to maybe get a run again: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/292638787889/the-machi…
    Oblivious to amazing Olivetti role as first PC, until seeing that.

    Worth reading that write-up, before watching this 3-minute snippet. (Documentary in full, in Italian.)

    Extra about the Olivetti, here - https://royal.pingdom.com/the-first-pc-from-1965/

  • [Deactivated] on 27/05/2019 - 13:06

    Couple of great intro/cracktros -
    Maybe most familiar, from multiple titles. Enjoy

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=ChbecJ_UB0s

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