Can anyone help with a Commodore 64/128 Question?

[SoulBlazer]

I had a Commodore 64/128 back in the day and had a lot of great games for it. One game I recently got again and have been playing in WinVICE (the best Commodore emulator out there) is really tough. Please note, the game is ONLY for the Commodore 128, although the syntax I give below may work for the 64 as well.

There's a 'hidden' hint file on the disc. I found the file and I have directions from the game on how to run it. (The file name is ROSEBUD. Original, huh? :P )

Only I've long since lost access to a ACTUALL system, and I can't get the simple program to work -- so I can't read the hint file.

Here is the program we're susposed to run to display it on screen:

10 f$="rosebud"
20 open8,8,8,(f$):do:get#8,a$rinta$;
loop until st:close8
RUN

When I try to RUN it, I can see the disc light come on but then the computer says 'syntax error in line 20' which means something is wrong.

Damn frustrating also, because I KNOW i have that written down right from the instructions. :/

I know Flack and some other people on here were BIG C64/128 users also back in the day and that someone can help me out.

Or is there another way to view the file using a command of WinVICE or something in Windows, perhaps? The hint file is just one file that is part of the .D64 image.

Thanks in advance!

[icbrkr]

Here is the program we're susposed to run to display it on screen:

10 f$="rosebud"
20 open8,8,8,(f$):do:get#8,a$rinta$;
loop until st:close8
RUN

Unless you're using that in C128 mode, it will not work. C64's BASIC doesn't understand do/loops. You're also missing a ":" between print a$; and loop (the ";" states to print on one line instead of line breaking). You can break it up further to find out exactly where the error is:

10 F$="rosebud"
20 open 8,8,8,(f$) (assuming it's drive #8)
30 do
40 get#8,a$
50 print a$;
60 loop until st (looping until the drive states it's EOF)
70 close 8

Really though, by the looks of all the program does is it reads a text file called "rosebud" and prints it to the screen - you should be able to use just about anything to do that.

To do this in C64 mode, you should be able to do something as easy as this:

10 open 15,8,15, "rosebud,s,r" (change the s to p if it's a program file)
15 for x = 1 to 500
20 get#15, a$
30 print a$;
40 next x

it's not pretty, has no error checking, and doesn't close the channel to the drive when it's done, but it'll work.

[Captain Wrong]

Moving to "on topic" as I think you'll get more help there.

[Mayhem]

Icebkr answered it here... need to run it in 128 mode with the disk in the drive. Just doing a simple byte read and print from the file.

[SoulBlazer]

Okay, guys.....bear with me, because like I said, it's been over 10 years since I actually HAD a Commodore.

Yes, I know the insturctions will only work in 128 mode -- I was running in that.

And the 'rosebud' file is a program -- PRG format -- and not a text file.

So it looks like the instructions given with the game to read the file all those years ago was messed -- with the small change made to the instructions provided by the kind soul above, I got it to display on screen. Some of the charcters were missing, but enough of it was readable to be able to help.

Boy, this reminds me of what a PAIN the C64/128 was to do anything with in BASIC mode -- and how I ever learned it as a kid! :P

[Flack]

What program is it?

[SoulBlazer]

Heh, I'm glad you asked Flack, because I was going to send both you and Mayhem a PM in a bit.

The game that inspired me to ask this question was a text adventure game called Wreck of the Coprinicus, which came on a magazine by disc called LOADSTAR 128. This perticular one was on Issue 5, back in 1989.

Have you heard of LOADSTAR? They have been publishing a Commodore 64 magazine on disc since 1984 -- and they are STILL around and offering it, either on 1541/1581 disc or in emulator format. (The 128 spin off only lasted about four years).

As a kid, I was in love with the magazine, and had a subscription for it from 1987 to 1994. Every month four discs would come loaded with programs, articles, games, help files, graphic and music programs, and the like.

As a matter of fact, I JUST got in the mail yesterday a CD I ordered that has 250 LOADSTAR 64 and 128 issues on it (all in .D64 and .D81 format) and a bunch of other cool stuff. You can find more info here:

http://www.ramblehouse.com/loadstarcompleat.htm

That site is run by Fender Tucker, the long time person in charge of LOADSTAR. (Now run by a friend of his Dave Moorman, who I am talking to by e-mail). He even signed the CD's.

Anyway, the reason I was going to send a PM was that due to a mailing error I got TWO CD's and I was told by Fender I could keep the other one. I was going to offer the CD at a reduced rate and figured that since both of you were Commodore users you would be quite good to ask. (And especily Mayhem since he's British and it was VERY expensive to ship over there back in the day).

Last night I fired the CD up with WinVICE and was poking through some long last games of my youth when I found this damn game. :P

Anyway, if anyone is interested in my duplicate CD, please send me a PM -- I figure $20 total is a fair price. I can PROMISE you that there is a TON of stuff on here -- over 20 years worth of programs!

[Flack]

Yeah, I'd take the CD. I remember Loadstar but I didn't buy too many of them back in the day. I was wondering what game it was because I have never heard of anything like that. I checked GB64 and they don't even have that game listed, although since it came in Loadstar that kind of makes sense.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I know today is your big day Flack -- hope it goes well! -- but shoot me a PM when you cand we'll work out the details.

The current rate for LOADSTAR is pretty good -- about $10 a issue in emulator format and $15 for disc. The publishing has slipped to one issue every six weeks in the last few years (Dave took over in 2001 after issue 199, which is where the CD stops at) but he's commited to publishing it for another year at least. It's currently around issue 245. Dave also sells a CD with the other issues in between.

Yeah, LOADSTAR was mostly a 'submit program, get it aproved, and published on the next issue and get paid a royality' system. They DID have a few commerical games -- Expedition Amazon comes to mind, which I downloaded a few months ago -- but mostly it was just author based programs, although Fender and some others in house did write some stuff.

I mostly got LOADSTAR 128 because the 128 side of the computer was often ignored.....it was so nice to get Wreck of the Coperincius and a few other games that NEEDED 128 mode. (a few other games that come to mind are Questor, a FPS-like game and Epic, a Ultima style RPG).

It amazes me that support for the old Commodore is still around.